


Battle Scars

by invisame



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Slow Burn, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-10-15 04:18:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 33,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17521877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisame/pseuds/invisame
Summary: You live in a world where soulmates share each other’s scars. Like most, you bore the typical minor wounds that barely even caught your attention. Until the day a large scar appears in the center of your chest. And this is no ordinary scar.Finding your soulmate is one thing. Admitting to him who you are is quite another.





	1. Chapter One

It started with the bruises.

Just a slight discoloration, nothing painful. You hadn’t even realized they were there. Your mother noticed them first.

You were doing dishes with your sleeves pushed up when she grabbed your wrist and turned your arm to get a better look. She ran her fingers lightly over them before looking up at you. “Where did you get these?”

You shrugged. “No idea. I probably ran into something.”

Her eyes examined you like they did when she was trying to determine if you were telling the truth or not. “All right then,” she finally said and released her grip so you could finish your chores. Her behavior was odd, but you pushed it aside and tried not to worry about it.

Next came the scratch on your hand. You guessed that’s what it was anyway. It looked more like an old scar. But you would have remembered injuring yourself to that point. Plus, it would have taken time to heal. You shook your head and did your best to hide it from your mom who always seemed to be looking at you too closely lately. Though sometimes when you were alone in your room, you’d find yourself running your fingers along the mark as you drifted to sleep, drawing some sort of odd comfort from it.

Then came the morning you woke with a black eye. There was no hiding that and it confirmed your mother’s suspicions. When you stepped in the kitchen, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes were wide. “Is that a black eye?”

You nodded, your cheeks flaming. “It was like that when I woke up.”

She prodded at the discoloration while she watched to see if you had any reaction. It didn’t hurt, it wasn’t swollen, it just looked awful. She grinned and bounced a little on her feet as she clapped her hands together. “Oh, Y/N. This is wonderful.”

“It’s not a big deal, mom.”

“Not a big deal? Y/N, you have a soulmate. That’s the most amazing thing in the world.”

You bit back the retort that hovered on the tip of your tongue. You were fourteen. What did you care about soulmates? You understood they were rare. That it meant there was someone in the world whose soul was a perfect match for yours. It was also said that you would meet someday, that Fate would assure it, but you might never know it. That was actually kind of depressing if you thought about it.

As the years went by there were of course more scars, more bruises. Your fingers in particular bore a crosshatch of tiny scars that made you wonder if your mate was a mechanic or something similar. He worked with his hands at any rate. That much was obvious.

He. You’d always referred to him that way. Your mother said the soul just knew. You weren’t certain you believed that, but ‘he’ your soulmate remained.

You hadn’t even reached college by the time you lost count of the number of love bites you’d woken up with. The same could be said for the claw marks on your back, though they were thankfully less frequent. Lovely.

Sometimes you considered cutting yourself. Nothing major, just a slice along your forearm maybe. Just enough for him to know you existed. That you were here watching his life play out on your skin. But you could never bring yourself to do it. Maybe he’d already noticed the odd bruise you picked up running into things, but you doubted it. He had enough of his own he probably didn’t notice any extra.

Then there was that one night in college. That night that ended with you in tears, dark circles around your wrists and on your thighs. Your roommate stopping your date before he went any further. You wondered what your soulmate thought when he looked at the bruising that made you shudder every time your gaze fell on it. Was he worried, curious as to what happened? Annoyed he had a soulmate? Anxiously waiting for you to make an appearance?

It was months before another love bite appeared overnight. Was that due to concern for you? Unlikely, but you couldn’t help but wonder. The thought made you smile.

It was fifteen years since the day you discovered you possessed a soulmate. You still hadn’t met him, not that you were aware of anyway. It had become habit for you to compare bruises with strangers. Your parents urged you to join one of the online groups. A place for people with soulmates to compare bruises and scars and hopefully find one another. You’d been tempted a time or two but the whole thing seemed a little creepy. And there were multiple stories of people getting conned in one way or another.

“Hello, sweetheart,” your father said as he leaned in the doorway of your office.

You smiled at him and closed the file you had been reviewing to hold it out to him. “Here you go, pop.” Your father owned a small law firm in your little town and you had been working as his paralegal and assistant since you earned your degree. While your parents were proud of all you had accomplished, they weren’t shy in letting you know that they were ready for you to settle down and give them grandkids.

Your mother was still pushing for you to find your soulmate, but your dad just wanted you to meet a ‘nice boy’. The problem was you’d dated nice boys. The longest relationship lasting several months in fact. But eventually, one too many bruises or scars would appear and they’d leave. As one so succinctly put it, he “didn’t want to share you with anyone. Soulmate or not.”

But your parents wouldn’t understand that, so you didn’t explain it. Instead, you did your job, went out with your friends and the very occasional date just to keep everyone from complaining that you weren’t trying hard enough.

Suddenly, you felt…pressure? You supposed that was as good a word for it as anything else. Just an intense pressure.

“My God,” your father breathed. “Are you okay?”

You frowned. “I feel weird. What’s wrong?”

“Your face.” He tilted his head to indicate the mirror on the wall of your office.

You hurried over, gasping when you saw your current state. Your fingers ran over the new scars on your face. Pale, as always, they were still visible. What the hell had just happened to your soulmate?

That pressure remained in your chest and you rubbed a hand over your sternum. Something there felt wrong as well. You hurried past your father. “I’ll be right back.”

You locked the door of the bathroom behind you and undid the buttons on your blouse to examine your chest. A large white scar covered the center of your torso with several smaller scars scattered around. You took a shuddering breath as your thoughts turned to the condition your mate must be in. At least he was alive. You knew that much. If the wound had killed him, you wouldn’t have seen the scars reflected in the mirror.

Putting yourself to rights, you went back to your office to find your father waiting for you. “Everything okay?” he asked as you reclaimed your seat behind the desk.

You nodded once. “Yeah. He must have been in an accident or something.”

Your father’s dark eyes studied you for a moment. “All right, sweetheart. Let me know if you need anything.”

The marks on your face had all but faded completely by the afternoon that changed your life forever. The day before, you’d received a new mark near your hairline along with some others, mostly on your right arm. You were moving through the living room of your little house, laundry basket on your hip when your eyes fell on the television.

Tony Stark had been found and was giving a press conference. Now that you thought about it, you had heard he was missing, but his world was so far from yours you hadn’t thought much of it. You grabbed the remote to change the channel but froze when the man himself came on the screen.

You lowered yourself onto the couch, setting the basket beside you. Turning the volume up, you caught him asking the reporters to sit down. The sound of his voice made your heart race as your gaze ran over his face, taking in every detail. Reaching a hand up, you traced the scar near your hairline that matched his own perfectly. His right arm was cradled in a sling and you were certain, hidden beneath that dark shirt he wore, was a wound in the center of his chest. There was no question in your mind, Tony Stark was your soulmate.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love for the first chapter.

Knowing Tony Stark was your soulmate was one thing. Acting on that knowledge was something else entirely. You couldn’t just put your life on hold to run off to New York. At least that’s what you told yourself. And you’d repeat it every time you watched his latest exploits on TV. Or when you looked him up on the internet. Or saw his face splashed across the latest gossip rags.

Scars came and went as you watched your soulmate from afar, but the one on your chest remained. It made you curious as to what the exact nature of his injury was. Typically, soulmate scars faded as the original wound healed, but this one still looked as ragged and raw as always.

Months passed while you watched your soulmate from afar. Even if you somehow managed to get through to him, would he even want to meet you? It seemed as though he had everything a man could want. What could he possibly need with you?

But then the attack on New York happened. Whole sections of the city were destroyed. Stark Industries was taking over the clean-up and rehabilitation of the most heavily damaged portions of the city. You and your parents were watching a news special about the attack and the aftermath. Your full attention was on the program, waiting for any mention of Tony. Suddenly the screen went black.

You turned to your mom in surprise. “What are you doing? Why did you turn that off?”

“It’s time,” was her answer, as if that was supposed to make sense to you.

You arched a brow and glanced from her to your father. His brows were drawn together in concern. “I’m still not certain this is the best idea.”

“Stop. We’ve discussed this.”

You were completely lost and it didn’t get any better when your mom handed you a plane ticket. New York City. One way. “I don’t understand.”

Your mother reached over and laid her hand on your leg. “It’s time for you to go to him, Y/N.”

“But…” You hadn’t even hinted to either of them that you knew who your soulmate was. “How did you know?”

“We can match up scars just the same as you. We’re not as oblivious to some things as you think.” Your father’s voice held that gruff tone he used when he was giving you a hard time.

“We were giving you time. And then there was all this chaos, but now I’m giving you a push.” Her tone was firm but not unkind.

“What if he doesn’t want me?” It was the first time you’d voiced the thought out loud.

“Then he’s a damn fool,” your dad responded with no hesitation. “Now you better go home and pack. Flight leaves tomorrow.”

***

You spent your first two days in New York, sightseeing and calling every number you could find for Tony Stark and Stark Industries. After being passed from person to person, it became evident you wouldn’t be allowed to speak to him unless you were already on some pre-approved list. Never imagining you would ever be this close to your soulmate, you weren’t about to leave until you were certain you had tried everything you could to reach him.

So, your third day in town was spent being pampered. The full spa treatment and some new clothes. It wasn’t about trying to impress anyone. Rather, you just knew you would need all the confidence you could get to pull off what you planned to do next.

The next morning you got yourself ready and took a taxi to Stark tower. You were careful not to arrive too early as you were more than aware of Tony’s reputation. Ten o’clock on the dot you walked through the doors of the tower, doing everything in your power to appear as though you belonged there. Forcing yourself to keep your eyes on the front desk rather than taking in everything around you was more difficult than you thought it would be.

“Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Stark,” you announced as if it was something you said every day.

The woman at the desk smiled at you before turning her attention back to her computer. “Of course, he’s expecting you.”

Your eyebrows shot up and your heart began to race. “He is?”

She glanced at you. “You are here for the interview, correct?”

“Of course,” you covered quickly. “I’m just a little nervous.”

“You’ll be fine, dear.” She pointed to a set of doors. “Elevator’s just there. Announce that you’re here to see Mr. Stark and you’ll be taken to the appropriate floor.”

You took the visitor’s badge she presented to you and gave a nod of thanks before hurrying onto the elevator. A glance at the badge showed the name Sara Jones. Well, you would happily be Sara Jones for a bit if it got you in to see Tony.

When the elevator arrived at the correct floor, you stepped out into an empty room. Your gaze darted around taking in everything. This appeared to be private living quarters, not an office space. “Hello?” you called out.  

The now familiar face of Tony Stark peered out from a doorway just down the hall. He looked you over from head to toe and the corner of his mouth quirked up. “You’re Ms. Jones?”

“Why is that amusing?” You were impressed you could even get the words out now that you were this close to him.

He stepped fully out of the room and walked toward you as he waved a hand through the air in dismissal. “I’m just surprised Pepper let you get this far in the process is all.”

“Actually, I’m—”

He held up a hand to cut you off. “Let’s just get to it, shall we? What makes you qualified to be my assistant? And don’t regurgitate whatever Pepper told you to tell me. Give me an honest answer.”

“Your assistant?” you echoed.

“Okay, _the_ assistant around here. But mostly mine.” He gave you a full smile then and you forced yourself to take a deep breath past the tightness in your chest.

“Mr. Stark, I’m not—”

Again, he cut you off. “Don’t tell me you’re not an assistant. That would mean you lied on your resume and that’s not possible. Pepper always vets potential employees.”

“Well, I am an assistant. Technically.” You weren’t certain whether to be amused or frustrated with him.

“Now, that’s interesting wording. Technically?”

You crossed your arms over your chest. “I have a pre-law degree. I’ve been working as a paralegal and assistant in my father’s law firm.”

He tilted his head, his gaze sharpening as he took you in. “Why stop at pre-law? Why not go all the way?”

You shrugged. “I like the research side of things more than the arguing side. Though I’m not sure my father would agree with that statement.”

“So, you’re argumentative?”

“If I believe in something strongly enough, sure.”

“And the only job you’ve had is working for your father?”

“Well, I don’t really consider my summers carhopping as relevant experience.”

His eyebrows shot up with that. “It might be. What was your uniform like? Did you have to wear skates?”

Your lips twitched. “I fail to see how any of that is relevant.”

He took a step toward you. “Just trying to get an accurate picture in my mind is all.”

The two of you stood just a few feet apart, gazes locked as you tried to figure one another out.

“Finger me,” he said, breaking the tension between the two of you.

You coughed. “Excuse me?”

He held up his phone as he attempted to give you a look of innocence. “Index finger here please?”

You placed your finger on the square on his screen, pulling away when it beeped. “You need to work on that.”

“Hmm?” he said when he glanced up from whatever he was reading on his phone.

“The innocent thing. I’m not buying it.”

He grinned, sent a text, and then put his phone in his pocket. “I’ll read the rest of that later. Follow me.”

“There’s something I need to tell you,” you said as the two of you stepped into the elevator.

“Nope. Tell me later.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on his feet as the elevator moved to another floor.

“You’re very aggravating, you know that?”

“Yep.”

When the elevator door opened, the two of you were met with the glowering face of Pepper Potts. You immediately shifted into a more professional stance and cleared your throat. She gave you a forced smile before turning her attention fully back on Tony.

She held up her phone. “What is this, Tony? You can’t have possibly hired someone already. And who is she?”

He looked surprised though you didn’t buy it for a moment. He was enjoying this. “I thought that would be obvious. She’s my new assistant.”

“I am?”

“No, you’re not,” Pepper answered, and not politely.

Now you were tempted to be his assistant just to piss her off.

Tony strode down the hallway, the two of you trailing behind. “Yes, she is,” he said to Pepper. He opened the door to a surprisingly neat office and started to flip through a folder on his desk.

“You don’t even know who she is, Tony. This is not one of the candidates I approved of.”

Your face heated. You had intended to tell him. Had tried in fact, but he kept stopping you. Now he was going to think you were a liar.

He glanced at you briefly before turning his gaze to Pepper. “This is Y/N Y/L/N. Majored in pre-law. Has worked as a paralegal and assistant to her father’s firm since graduation. Part of her duties included press releases. No record. No spouse. No children. Not even a pet. JARVIS is still digging, but that’s the gist of it. I’d say she’s pretty damned perfect.”

Your elation at being called perfect by your soulmate was dampened by the sheer surprise you felt. You suppose you shouldn’t be that shocked. This was Tony Stark and you’d guessed he was running your print when he asked you to touch his phone. But still.

Pepper’s expression as she turned to you told you she was just as shocked as you were, though she was quick to hide it behind a mask of indifference. “What he means to say is that you will be expected to on call and prepared to respond to the team’s needs at any time.”

“That’s…unusual.” That didn’t quite cover it but you couldn’t think of a better word at the moment.

Tony gave Pepper a pointed look before handing you a piece of paper. “There is a more formal contract and non-disclosure that need to be signed, but that is the outline of salary and benefits.”

The amount of numbers in the salary alone was enough to have you sucking in a breath in surprise. Your eyes widened with every benefit you read.

“I assume you haven’t made living arrangements yet?”

You shook your head without looking up at him.

“We’ll add that to the contract as well then. You can use one of the apartments in the tower.”

You glanced up in surprise as his words shook you from your trance. This isn’t what you were here for. That was when you realized Pepper had moved around the desk and was pressed into Tony’s side, arm around his waist. Oh. The press had put them together for years, but it had proven to be rumor every time. Apparently not anymore.

“Well, what do you say?” Tony asked when you were quiet for too long.

You wanted to say no. To run back to California with your tail between your legs, but you knew you’d regret if forever if you did. Instead, you cleared your throat and forced a smile. “I’d say you have a new assistant.”


	3. Chapter 3

Tony rubbed his hands together as if he’d just won some sort of prize. “Fantastic. Today we’ll get your paperwork squared away and you can move in. You start tomorrow.”

Pepper gave you a tight smile. “You will need to consent to a full background check before your job is official.”

“I’m pretty sure Mr. Stark already took care of that.”

He shrugged. “Well, it’s not finished yet, but I’m not particularly worried about it. And call me Tony.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Of course, you’re not worried about it. Why would you be?” She turned her attention from her boyfriend to you. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll take you down to human resources and you can get started on the forms.”

“Not necessary. I’ve got the forms I need right here.”

She arched a brow at him and things were beginning to feel more than a little awkward.

He smirked and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Calm down, sweetheart. She’s employed by the Avengers, not Stark Industries. Whole different set of paperwork.”

“Well, I’ll just leave you to it then, shall I?” It you hadn’t already known she was pissed off, her pinched expression would have given it away.

Tony sighed after she disappeared through the door. “Sorry about that. She’s a little…protective.”

Yeah, that wasn’t the word you were thinking of. “It’s fine. Should we get started?”

***

By the end of the day you were exhausted. You’d thoroughly read and completed every form then Happy had taken you to your hotel to gather your things. Your ‘apartment’ turned out to be a room on the communal floor of the Avengers portion of the tower. The bedroom was the size of your entire hotel room and there was an attached bathroom. The kitchen was just down the hall and you had access to the entirety of the tower. You were certain you’d be just fine there, but if you weren’t you could always look for your own apartment later.

After unpacking your few belongings, you called your parents. Your mother was thrilled you were sticking around to get to know your soulmate. Your father was less pleased. After all, he was not only your dad, he was your boss. He wasn’t happy to have to replace you at the firm but the mention of the salary was enough to keep him from any further protest. You were fairly certain you now made more than him.

A glance at the clock showed it to be nearly 8:00 already. You huffed out a breath when you realized you hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Now was as a good a time to familiarize yourself with the kitchen as any other you supposed. Tony had told you to help yourself.

The living room and kitchen were empty and you breathed a sigh of relief. You weren’t sure you were up to meeting the Avengers just yet. Tony was supposed to introduce you to the team tomorrow. You dug around the fridge, smiling when you found some leftover pizza. After tossing a couple of slices on a plate, you warmed them up in the microwave. You opted to just stand at the island to eat.

You had just taken your first bite when the elevator opened and noise flooded the room announcing the arrival of several of the team members. Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton all stopped to look you over when they came into view of the kitchen. You swallowed your food past the lump in your throat and gave them a little wave. “Hello.”

“Can we help you?” Steve asked. He sounded friendly enough, but his shoulders were tense and his stance indicated he was prepared for an attack.

“No one is allowed in the private levels of the tower without an escort. How did you get here?” Natasha didn’t even feign friendliness.

And then there was Clint. “Is that my pizza?”

Natasha gave him a look and he shrugged. “What?”

“Priorities, Clint.”

“Exactly, Nat.”

Your lips twitched as you fought back a laugh. Finally, you cleared your throat. “Sorry to startle you. I’m Y/N Y/L/N, your new assistant. Tony intended to introduce us tomorrow.”

“My assistant?” Clint asked, obviously surprised.

Natasha smacked him with the back of her hand. “She’s for all of us. Not just you. We discussed this at the meeting last week, remember?”

The archer scratched his head and dropped onto the stool across from you with a smile. “Obviously not.” His held out a hand. “Hi. Clint Barton. Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

You shook his hand. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Barton. Sorry about the pizza.”

He waved a hand through the air in dismissal. “Tony paid for it anyway. And it’s Clint. Or Hawkeye.”

You nodded before turning to the other two. Steve was staring at his phone with a furrowed brow while Natasha read over his shoulder. Clint followed your line of sight then leaned toward you. “They’re checking out your story,” he mock whispered. “Me. I’m more trusting.”

That made you smile. “Well, even if I was lying. There are three of you and one of me so I’d say you don’t have much to worry about.”

“And there’s that,” he agreed.

Steve finally nodded and slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Sorry about that. Tony hadn’t mentioned he’d actually hired anyone. Steve Rogers. Call me Steve or Cap, if you’d prefer.” You shook his hand.

“Natasha,” was all the red-head said as she shook your hand as well.

“Nice to meet all of you. I promise not to be a nuisance. Honestly, I hadn’t even considered if you would all mind me living here when Tony offered. I can find somewhere else if you’d prefer.” Your words were rushed. Even the thought you might be an inconvenience made your skin itch. You preferred to coast along in the background.

Steve frowned. “Nonsense. I’m sure it will be fine. Besides, it will probably be easier for you to stay here. Sometimes we get called out in the middle of the night.”

“Tony mentioned the beck and call thing,” you admitted.

Natasha tilted her head to study you. “And you’re okay with that?”

“For the amount of money he’s paying me? Absolutely.”

 ***

You weren’t surprised that you were up and ready to start your day well before Tony made an appearance the next morning. You found your way back to Tony’s office from the day before and helped yourself to a notebook and pen so you could take notes. “Jarvis, is Mr. Stark up yet?”

“Mr. Stark has not slept in thirty-six hours, Miss Y/L/N. He is currently in the lab.”

You lifted your brows at that news. A day and a half with no sleep? That couldn’t be healthy. “Do I have access to the lab?”

“Once your background was completed, you were given access to 98% of the tower. The lab is included in that percentage.”

“Thank you.” Did you have to thank an AI? You still weren’t used to randomly talking to the ceiling but supposed it would come easier as time went on.

“You’re welcome, Miss.”

You found your way to the lab with Jarvis’s help. For a time, you stood outside and watched through the window. Tony was completely engrossed in his work. His bright eyes would glance up occasionally to consult the schematic in front of him before turning back to his project. Dr. Banner was working at a different table nearby, the two of them carrying on a conversation without detracting from their work. Tony smiled at something the doctor said and you realized this was his element.

This is where he was the most comfortable. The happiest. Now you understood the scars on your fingertips were mirrors of the ones he’d gotten spending countless hours in the lab. After you determined you couldn’t stare any longer without it being considered creepy, you let yourself in. Both men’s eyes, instantly found you. Tony grinned while Dr. Banner’s smile was far more restrained.

“Good morning, gentleman.” You sat the cup of coffee you’d brought for Tony in front of him. “I wasn’t aware you were here, Dr. Banner or I would have brought one for you as well.”

He shook his head. “I don’t mainline caffeine like Tony. I prefer tea actually.”

“I will remember that,” you assured him. “Y/N Y/L/N. The new assistant. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Bruce Banner. I’d shake your hand but…” He trailed off and indicated the chemicals he was working with.

“No problem.” You turned back to Tony to find him watching you while he sipped his coffee. “Are you up for this?”

“What? Showing you around and going over your responsibilities? I think I can handle that.”

“Jarvis says you haven’t slept in 36 hours.”

“Jarvis, you snitch.” Tony sounded disgusted with his AI.

“I am sorry, sir.”

Tony rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulder. “Sleep’s not really my thing. Let’s get started.”

He ran through a list of your responsibilities and you jotted them down. You’d need to get a calendar so you could track the things you only had to do once or twice a month. “Can I ask you a question?” you said cutting him off mid-sentence.

“Sure.”

“Not to put too simple of a spin on it, but my job is to take care of the team, right? To keep you guys from having to deal with the day to day and making sure things stay on track around here?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” His gaze narrowed as he tried to figure out where you were going with this.

“I’m good at this, at organizing people’s lives. Let me do it my way for a few weeks. If I suck we can go back to this never ending list you’ve been rattling off.” You held your breath waiting to see if he’d take you up on it. You weren’t lying when you said you were good at this. When you came into your father’s office you had completely revamped the way they did everything from billing to filing. That had been years ago and they were still doing things your way.

Tony pursed his lips before finally giving you nod. “All right, hot stuff. Three weeks. Let’s see what you can do.”

A grin curled your lips before you could stop it. “I’m going to need a credit card.”


	4. Chapter 4

For a week you wandered around the tower, particularly those areas reserved for the Avengers and made notes. All of the team noticed, but they didn’t ask any of the questions they undoubtedly had. Though by the end of the week, you had plenty for them. Everything from favorite colors to hobbies and favorite weapons. Nat finally flat out asked you what you were up to.

The corner of your mouth lifted in a smile. “Just doing a little organizing. You’ll see soon enough.”

She narrowed her gaze as she looked you over. “We’re not much for surprises around here. Too many of them have led to nothing good.”

You gave a little shrug. “Not really a surprise. More like me making a plan and getting all my ducks in a row before implementing any of it.”

“So, forethought?” She pursed her lips. “We could certainly use some of that around here.”

“What are you trying to say, Nat?” Tony asked as he walked in the room. “We all know you like my impulsive nature. Don’t lie.”

She rolled her eyes and left you alone with your soulmate.

“How’s it going, hot stuff?” He made a show of looking around. “I don’t see many changes yet.”

“It hasn’t been three weeks, Tony,” you responded as you had most every day when he made inquiries into your progress.

He stepped toward you, closing the distance between the two of you until he was only a foot away. “You’re up to something, Y/N and I’m not sure I like it. I’m the sneaky one around here.”

You didn’t say anything as you forced your gaze to remain locked with his though every fiber of your being screamed for you to close the remaining distance between you. That wouldn’t totally be out of line or anything. Your heart raced and you wondered if you affected him even remotely the same way he got to you.

After a moment that felt like forever, he took a step back and turned to the rest of the room. “Gear up. Fury ordered a training mission. Wheels up in sixty.”

There was a collective groan from everyone in the room save you.

“How long?” Steve asked.

“His exact words were more than three days. Less than forty.” You had to stop yourself from smiling at the disgruntled tone in Tony’s voice.

Everyone started to disburse. “If there is anything you’d like me to take care of while you’re gone let me know,” you called.

Tony turned his attention back to you and gave you that little smirk. “You got this?”

“I got this,” you assured and immediately started to check to see if anything needed to be rescheduled.

***

 Three days later you were on an empty floor of the tower that had been under reconstruction until you got hold of it. Now the rebuilding was done and the workers were putting the finishing touches on the paint. Tomorrow, all the things you’d ordered would be brought in by a horde of workers. The Avengers were going to come home to an all new tower.

“I’m not sure what I expected when Stark told me he was hiring an assistant for the team, but it sure as hell wasn’t this,” a deep voice said, startling you.

You turned to find none other than Nick Fury standing near the elevator with his hands clasped behind his back. Tony had warned you that you would have to interact with the man at some point, but you had assumed you’d have Tony there as a buffer. You swallowed past the lump in your throat. “Hello, Director. What can I do for you?”

He held up a form as he studied you with his one eye. “Are you the one that sent this requisition form over?”

You sucked in a breath. You’d assumed some faceless worker bee would fill the requisition. “I am.”

He nodded. “Did Stark read this before he signed it?”

“Unlikely. This is Tony we’re talking about. He tells me it’s my job to read things. Which to be fair, my background in law is one of the reasons he hired me. At least, that’s what he says anyway.”

The corner of Fury’s mouth curled in a small smile. “And should I agree to supply this equipment, what are your plans?”

You shuffled through a couple of screens on your Stark tablet before handing it over. He read through the information quickly before looking up in surprise. “Are these numbers accurate?”

“As accurate as I can be without real world data, yes.”

“Impressive, Y/L/N.” He handed you back your tablet then walked toward the elevator without another word.

“Does this mean I get my supplies?” you called after him.

“Already delivered.” He stepped into the elevator and used his hand to keep the door from closing. “And Y/L/N? You have been granted SHIELD security clearance at Stark’s request. Don’t make me regret it.”

Your eyes went wide as your brows shot up into your hairline. “Y-yes, sir,” you managed to stammer out just before the door slid shut.

“Jarvis,” you said after you had a moment to pull yourself together.

“Yes, Miss Y/L/N?”

“Why exactly does Tony think I need government security clearance?” You bit your lip, worried about the answer.

“It is my understanding that Mr. Stark wishes you to be available in whatever capacity the team requires which may necessitate you knowing some more delicate aspects of their missions,” the AI explained.  

“He’s known me for two weeks, Jarvis.”

“Ten days to be precise, Miss. I believe Director Fury voiced the same concerns to Mr. Stark himself.”

“And what did Tony say?”

“Mr. Stark said he had a feeling you could be trusted though he was unable to explain why when the Director pressed him.”

You blinked several times as you processed that bit of information. Was it possible Tony felt the connection between you without even knowing you were soulmates? After a moment you shook your head to clear it. Dwelling on this wasn’t going to get the work done. “Jarvis, please make certain all deliveries and workers are still scheduled for the appropriate times tomorrow.”

“Of course, Miss.”

***

Tony’s money certainly made it easier for you to get things done quickly, though there were still a few things you had to do on your own due to you being the only one around that had clearance to enter certain spaces. Still, you managed to have everything completed by the time the team returned from their mission. You met them as they unloaded from the jet. A SHIELD agent stood beside you. You ran your eyes over the team and quickly ascertained that they were in good spirits. That would make this much easier.

As they spotted you, they shouted greetings while eyeing the man beside you suspiciously. “What’s this?” Steve asked.

“This is a SHIELD agent. New protocol. If possible, a SHIELD agent will be on hand to meet you after any mission. That agent will be responsible for cleaning and repair of any weapons and for restocking your muster gear. If you would like to hire someone permanent for the position that is also an option,” you explained.

Before anyone could ask the questions that seemed to be on the tips of their tongues, all of your attentions were drawn to Tony as he came into the room from a different door. He’d undoubtedly landed on his balcony and come down to meet the rest of the team. “There you are, Y/L/N. I have some questions.”

“I think we all do,” Bruce said with a gesture at the agent.

You couldn’t help a small chuckle as you turned to the man beside you. “You are dismissed, Agent. Thank you.”

He gave a crisp nod before quickly vacating the room.

“There have been some changes while you were gone,” you explained. “If you’re up for it we can go over them now or we can do it later. Whichever.”

“I think we better do it now.” Tony rubbed a hand over the top of his head as he scowled. Jarvis had warned you that Tony didn’t like change but you didn’t think it would take long to win him over.

You nodded and walked into the nearest hallway. There was now a line of black lockers along one of the walls. Your eyes were glued to your tablet as you came to a stop in front of them. After you flipped through a couple of screens you turned it off. “I just sent you all a document detailing the changes in case you have any questions. These lockers are your muster lockers. They are encoded to the handprint SHIELD had on file for each of you. Inside is a uniform and a bag equipped with all your favorite goodies. If there is anything you want taken out or added please let me know. I have a detailed list of what should be packed in each bag so they can be replenished after any mission.”

Everyone moved to find their locker. They were marked by a small emblem beside the palm reader. You glanced at Tony. “As I’m certain you noticed, yours is on your floor as you tend to come and go from there. We can move it down here if you wish.”

He studied you but did little more than nod. His hands were shoved in his pockets and he rocked on his feet as he watched the others. A little further down the hall you showed them the large board where you could keep track of everyone’s schedules, though everything on it was letters and numbers that meant nothing if you didn’t already know what they stood for. And just past the board was an office for Steve. Across the hall was a meeting room. “This puts all the work related stuff up here, away from your living spaces. I wanted to give you more separation.”

If the smile on his face was any indication, Steve was all in with the new layout. You gave the rest of them a smile. “This also means no one besides the team needs to have access to the other floors.”

“That works for me,” Nat mumbled and Clint nodded in agreement.

“All right. Shall we?” They all filed into the elevator with you. “Jarvis, if you please?”

“Of course, Miss.”

You couldn’t keep the grin from your face as he moved to the first stop. The doors slid open and the team was met with the familiar sight of their common living area. “You can leave your bags in the elevator,” you told them, indicating the bags most of them had been carrying since their arrival.

“Can’t we just put them in our rooms?” Steve asked.

“You can, but there are no longer any private rooms on this floor. Well, mine is because it made sense I be centrally located but the rest of you have been moved.”

“You can’t just move our things without asking,” Natasha said, immediately defensive.

“How do we know you didn’t mess with anything?” Clint said over the top of her.

“Who cleared this?” Steve demanded.

You’d been prepared for questions but their harsh tone surprised you. You held up your hands in an attempt to calm them while you took a deep breath.

“I believe that you will all be most pleased with the changes Miss Y/L/N has made,” Jarvis spoke over all of them. “All personal belongings were moved under her strict supervision and placed precisely as they had been in your original rooms. Your agitation is quite unnecessary.”

“Did my AI just stick up for you?” Tony asked, his voice heavy with disbelief.

You shrugged. “We’ve bonded.” When he just continued to stare at you, you cleared your throat and turned away from him. “This floor now houses the common area as before. The kitchen has been expanded and also includes a large dining table so meals can be taken together. Also on this floor there is a theater, a library and an arcade.”

“Let’s move on to the private rooms,” Steve suggested still sounding slightly disgruntled. “We can explore later.”

The others nodded or made sounds of agreement and you led them back to the elevator. One floor down it stopped again. The doors slid open to reveal a floor decorated in neutral colors with blue accents. “Captain, this is your floor. There is also a room for Thor should he return and need somewhere to stay. There is a kitchenette, a private bathroom attached to your room and a studio with floor to ceiling windows.”

“Can I—” Steve gestured to the room outside the elevator.

“Of course,” you said with a smile you no longer felt. “Would you like us to wait for you?”

He shook his head without looking back. “No. I’ll look at the other floors later.”

With that Jarvis shut the doors and dropped to the next floor. “Clint and Natasha, this is your level.” It too was in neutrals but with purple and black accents. “Yours is the only floor without room for new team members. You also have a kitchenette but the extra rooms have been prepared for your family, Agent Barton, should you decide to bring them to the tower.”

Clint turned his head to you in surprise. “Fury said that wasn’t possible. That we couldn’t get the clearance.”

This time your smile was genuine. “That is no longer a problem since I separated the living quarters from the rest. You’ll find the necessary clearances in your bedroom.”

He and Natasha hustled off, chatting excitedly to one another. As the elevator slid shut, you turned to the two remaining ream members. “There is one more floor below here that is set up to house more team members if necessary. For the time being, it is empty. As I’m sure the two of you have noticed, we are going up this time. Dr. Banner, I have placed your living quarters on the same floor as the lab. Not only for conveniences sake, but the only person you will have to worry about sharing your space with is Tony.”

Tony frowned. “There isn’t enough room on that floor with the medical facilities.”

“Medical facilities are now housed on the business floor. Storage has been moved to other locations in the tower. If you are worried about the space in the lab, you shouldn’t be. I have actually expanded the lab area.” You stepped out of the elevator and they followed close behind. “As you can see, the décor has been changed to neutral colors. Dr. Banner, your lockdown room is now between your room and the lab. It is accessible from both locations. Jarvis provided the specifications of the original room and oversaw the construction.”

Jarvis unlocked the door to the lab as you approached. You held it open for the science bros to follow you inside. “There is also a meditation room in your private quarters, Doctor. As you can see, your lab is larger. Here there is a state of the art coffee system. It’s easy to use once you figure it out, Mr. Stark. Jarvis has the full instructions. This button here will dispense hot water only. The far cabinet is fully stocked with the teas Jarvis says you are partial to, Dr. Banner.”

Bruce beamed as he rubbed his hands together and shuffled off to check out everything you’d told him. You turned to Tony to find him watching you with dark eyes. You cleared your throat and gestured to the back of the lab. “That door there leads to a set of stairs that feeds directly into your private residence. Your handprint or Jarvis is required to open the door on either end.”

He just continued to watch you and you gave him a tight smile. “Have fun looking around and let me know if you need anything.” You turned, prepared to disappear into your own room when a light touch on your arm stopped you.

“They were just surprised, you know,” Tony said.

You frowned at him. “What?”

“When they snapped at you. None of them meant anything by it.”

“I didn’t think they did,” you said, but dropped your head so he wouldn’t be able to read the expression on your face.

“Mmmhmm.” He placed a finger under your chin and lifted your head. “Just like you didn’t start calling everyone by their last name or title after that.”

“I am their employee, not their friend, Mr. Stark.”

He arched a brow at you as he stepped away. “We’ll see about that, Miss Y/L/N.”

“And Y/N?” he called stopping you at the door.

“Yes?”

“Call me Mr. Stark again and you’re fired.”


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning you shuffled out to the kitchen, your nose leading the way as it followed the scent of bacon. You stopped in surprise when you caught sight of everyone else sitting around the large table. After blinking a couple of times, you headed into the kitchen to pour yourself a cup of coffee. Once you had it the way you liked it and had taken a large sip you felt like you could carry on at least a partial conversation. “Good Morning, everyone.”

They all gave some variation of a greeting and Tony pushed the empty chair beside him away from the table with his foot. “Come. Sit. Eat.”

You gave him a small smile and nodded once. “Yes, boss.”

He arched a brow at your sass. “What did I say about that?”

You shrugged one shoulder. “You said I couldn’t call you Mr. Stark and I didn’t.”

Almost before you could blink the others had piled pancakes, bacon and eggs onto your plate. “Thank you.” As you ate, you noticed that the others were rather quiet. It was odd. You took another sip of your coffee as you leaned back in your chair. “What’s up, guys?”

Steve’s cheeks flushed a rather pretty shade of pink and he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “I-uh…” He trailed off.

“What I think Capsicle is trying to say is thank you,” Tony finally said, taking pity on the old man.

“Could you give us a more detailed tour today?” Natasha asked.

You smiled before you could think better of it. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”

Steve pushed a piece of paper in your direction. “I made a list. Hope that’s okay.”

Your eyes ran over the list of art supplies. “This seriously is the best thank you. Knowing you guys are enjoying the spaces we made for you is enough.”

“We?”

You turned to find Tony studying you with a furrow in his brow. “Jarvis was a considerable help.”

He leaned forward and tapped his finger on the table. After a moment, his tongue darted out to moisten his lips. “My AI seems abnormally fond of you.”

“Must be my charming personality.”

“Yeah. Must be.”

The two of you just looked at each other for a moment before the rest of the team started talking about other things they wanted in their spaces, drawing your attention away from him.

***

 It was late afternoon and the others were scattered throughout the living spaces while you sat on the couch with your legs tucked underneath you. You were clearing out emails and prioritizing appointments that needed to be made.

“Excuse me, Ms. Y/L/N, Ms. Potts is requesting permission to enter the premises.”

You jerked your head up with a frown. “She was on the list of approved visitors, was she not?”

“She was. Mr. Stark removed all approvals for anyone save yourself and the rest of the team this morning.”

Why the hell had he done that, and why hadn’t he told you? Shaking your head, you cleared your throat. “Talk to Tony about it then, J. Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

“Very well, Miss.”

A moment later the AI was back. “My apologies, but Mr. Stark said, and I quote ‘All the monkeys are your monkeys’.”

You sighed and sat the tablet in your lap. “Where is Pepper wanting to go?”

“She wishes to see, Mr. Stark.”

“And you told Tony this?”

“I did.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose trying to stave off the headache creeping up. “And where is Tony?”

“The lab, Miss.”

Shit. Pepper was no longer allowed in the lab per your agreement with Nick Fury. “Tell her the lab is off limits, Jarvis. If she wants to see Tony, she’ll have to send him a message and he’ll get back to her.”

You shifted your position on the couch to slip your shoes back on. You wanted to have a word with Tony yourself.

“Ms. Potts requests permission to speak with you.”

Of course, she wanted to speak to you. Damn it, Tony. “Let her up.” You placed your tablet on the table and turned so you could greet her when she got off the elevator.

Pepper was in a fine fury when she strode off the elevator. Her lips were pursed as she stopped a short distance from you. Your instinct was to take a step back but you held your ground. You’d be damned if you let this woman intimidate you.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Her words were clipped, harsh.

“My job.”

“You are a glorified secretary. Nothing more. You have no right to keep me from going anywhere in this tower I choose to go.” She took a step closer and you still didn’t move. You’d been yelled at by scarier people than her. “And you certainly cannot keep me away from Tony on whim. You’re not that important.”

You tilted your head slightly. “Finished?”

Her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open just a bit. She was obviously used to people bending to her will by this point. You wouldn’t be Tony Stark’s soulmate if you were that quick to give way.

“Tony is the one that revoked access to all living areas of the tower for everyone but myself and the team. The lab and the floor below are now restricted access. Only those that have been cleared by SHIELD are allowed on those floors.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “So, get me clearance.”

“Only team members or support personnel. You don’t qualify as either. Sorry.”

She leaned toward you. “I knew you were going to be trouble the first time I saw you. You lied to get in here and tricked Tony into hiring you. Now you think you can just weasel in and replace me? Think again. I hope you liked working here because I’ll have you gone by the end of the day.”

With that she turned on her heel and stomped back into the elevator, barking the floor she wished to Jarvis as she went. You heaved a sigh. Well, that was a lovely experience. You moved toward the elevator at a far more sedate pace. “Take me to see Tony, J,” you said once you’d stepped inside.

“Of course.”

You arrived quickly on the floor with the lab and hurried down the hall. Maybe you should start wearing heels just so you could hear that satisfying click when you stepped on the marble. Jarvis unlocked the door for you before you even arrived. You gave Bruce a smile and a nod before scowling at Tony.

“Hey Y/N,” he said without glancing at you.

You didn’t respond. Instead you simply waited. After the silence stretched on, he looked up, cringing when he saw your expression. “Look, it was better if you talked to her. I have been trained to just do whatever she tells me. Too many years of her being my assistant.”

“So, you decided to just revoke her clearance for the living levels without telling her?”

He turned his attention back to the device in his hand he was fiddling with. You cringed as his screwdriver slipped and put a gouge in the metal. “Damn it.” He dropped it on the table and raked a hand through his hair. “Be a sweetheart and make me a cup of coffee, would you?”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes and went to do as he asked. “By the way, this is a horrible distraction. I still expect an answer to my question.”

“To be fair, I revoked everyone’s access without warning, including Fury’s. With you separating everything out no one needs to be in our private space anymore. It’s nice. Thank you.”

You nodded as you finished up his coffee and sat it on the table in front of him. “Fair enough, but Pepper isn’t just anyone.”

He sipped his coffee as his dark eyes studied you. “True. She’s the CEO of Stark Industries. Very important person.”

God, he was irritating sometimes. “That’s not what I was referring to and you know it.”

“That reminds me,” he said lifting a finger. “Please send Ms. Potts an email that all paperwork is to be reviewed by you before I sign it.”

“Are you trying to get me killed, Tony? Because that’s what this leads to—homicidal rage.”

Bruce chuckled and you shot him a smile.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Y/N. I’m almost positive you could take her in a fight.” He smirked around the rim of his cup and humor danced in his eyes. He was certainly enjoying himself.

“That is not—”

Before you could finish your thought, Tony got distracted by something on his desk. He picked up a small pointed instrument and poked the device he’d been working on earlier. Sparks sprayed into the air and a loud pop was heard shortly before smoke flowed from the casing.

He stared at his handiwork for a moment. “Huh.” That was all he said before looking back to you.

“All right, Tony. Is there anything else you would like me to tell Pepper when I email her?”

“Tell her you could beat her in a fight. I want to see what happens.”

Bruce’s surprised laugh was loud and pulled a smile from you before you could stop it. You shouldn’t be encouraging Tony’s obnoxious behavior.

“I meant anything relevant. I’m certain you can manage tormenting your girlfriend without my help.”

Tony frowned and put his cup down. He shot a glance over to Bruce who gave him an unreadable look back. You glanced between the two of them. It seemed they were capable of holding an entire conversation through looks alone. You didn’t have time for this. “Listen, I have work to do. I will email Pepper per your request and I will send out an email notifying relevant parties that clearances have been revoked so there are no more surprises.”

Without waiting for a response, you turned to leave the lab. You had the door open before Tony’s voice stopped you. “Y/N, wait. Son of a bitch!”

The last part had you snapping around to find Tony cradling his hand against his chest. Your eyes widened as blood dripped from it to the floor. You instantly curled your hand into a fist in sympathy and to hide your matching scar.

“Get the kit,” Bruce ordered as he hopped off his stool to tend to Tony.

You hurried over to the cabinet designated for first aid supplies and pulled out the kit for cuts and burns. Returning to the table, you opened it, careful to keep your palm concealed as much as possible.

“How did you manage this?” Bruce grumbled looking at Tony over the top of his glasses.

“My focus was elsewhere and I didn’t notice where I was placing my hand.” Tony glanced quickly at you before turning his attention back to his hand.

“Y/N, could you tear open one of those ointment packets for me?” Bruce asked.

You hastily grabbed one of the small packets and ripped the top off before passing it over. Bruce took it from you with a frown you didn’t understand. He quickly finished doctoring Tony’s hand. “All right, Tony. Try to be at least mildly observant in the lab from now on. If you don’t mind, I’m going to borrow Y/N for a moment. I need to get her opinion on something in my meditation room.”

Tony scowled at his friend before saying, “Sure. Thanks for fixing me up.”

Bruce led the way from the lab and into his private quarters. You’d no sooner shut the door behind you than he grabbed your hand and uncurled your fingers to examine your palm. He traced the white scar then glanced up at you. “Something you want to talk about?”


	6. Chapter 6

You pulled your hand from Bruce’s and curled it back into a fist. “I’ve had that scar forever. Don’t even remember how I got it now.”

He arched his brows and gave you a look that said he didn’t believe a word you were saying. “You did not have that scar yesterday. Or even today when you handed Tony his coffee. Don’t bullshit me, Y/N. I’m more observant than most people give me credit for.” He slid off his glasses and tossed them onto a nearby table before crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze never wavered from you as he waited for you to speak.

Finally, you sighed and paced away from him. “I’m not trying to bullshit you, Bruce. I just wasn’t intending on telling anyone. Not for a while, at least.”

“So, you _are_ Tony’s soulmate then?” He dropped his arms and took a step toward you.

Suddenly unable to speak, you nodded.

“Okay. And you’ve known since?”

“After he was missing. He was doing a press conference and I saw him on the television. Our bruises matched.”

He raked a hand through his already messy hair and huffed out a breath. “And you haven’t told him?”

“What do you think, Bruce?”

“All right, all right.” He gestured toward one of the chairs at his small kitchen table. You sat and he took the one across from you. “Are you planning to tell him?”

You debated for a moment whether to even the continue the conversation before deciding it was too much of a relief to have someone to talk to for you to stop now. If things got back to Tony, you’d just have to deal with it then. “That was my intention when I came here. I tried to get through to him by phone and I couldn’t so I just showed up. They assumed I was here for a job interview and here we are.”

“I don’t suppose you mentioned you were his soulmate when you tried to call?” he asked.

“It’s not like anyone would have believed me if I had. Besides, that’s the kind of news you need to deliver yourself don’t you think?” You leaned back in your seat.

He ran his fingers across the surface of the table as he thought. “All of that aside, why haven’t you told him since then? You’ve had time. He’s been looking for you for a long time.”

Hearing that Tony had wanted to find you made your heart a little lighter. It also made you feel a little guilty. “He has a girlfriend, Bruce. I’m not going to be what breaks them up.”

“Who? Pepper?”

You nodded.

He grimaced. “She’s not really his girlfriend.”

You pursed your lips thinking over everything you had seen the last few weeks. “Are they dating?”

He tilted his head from side to side. “Well, I mean, technically—”

You held up a hand to cut him off. “Technically is enough of a relationship for me. I’ll tell him when the time is right. This isn’t it.”

“How do you know that it isn’t? I won’t tell him if you don’t want me to, but you should. And the sooner the better.”

“That’s enough. I’m not going to let him drop his entire life because of me. That’s not fair to him, Bruce.”

“You dropped yours to come here for him. Shouldn’t he get the same choice?”

***

It took a while before you were convinced that Bruce wouldn’t spill your secret. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to tell Tony. You would love nothing more than to be with him but you didn’t want him to pick you just because you were his soulmate. You wanted him to get to know you as a person first and a soulmate second. Things like that took time.

You were still deep in thought when you left Bruce’s room to head back to your floor.

“Everything sorted?”

The unexpected voice startled you and you found yourself staring at Tony with wide eyes. “Huh?” Well, that was eloquent, Y/N.

Tony straightened from where he’d been leaning in the doorway of the lab. You wondered briefly how long he’d been standing there. His gaze darted past you to Bruce’s door before settling back on you. “Did you get Bruce squared away?”

“Yeah,” you answered feeling moderately guilty for misleading him. “It’s all good.”

He stepped forward as his tongue darted out to moisten his lips. “What did he need anyway? You two were in there for a while.”

You lifted one brow. “We got busy talking. You know how it is.”

He hummed in what you assumed was agreement. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it.” With that he turned and went back into the lab.

You stood there for a moment trying to process the strange scene you’d just been part of until your phone rang. “Hello,” you answered without paying attention to who was calling.

“We need to talk,” came Fury’s deep voice and you instantly forgot about anything else. Why was the director of SHIELD calling you?

***

As soon as you were off the phone with the director, you spent the next two hours making calls, placing orders and issuing instructions. Once you were certain everything you needed done would be completed by morning, you called a meeting in the Avengers conference room.

As the team shuffled in, they fell quiet as they found you waiting for them. Tony and Bruce were the last two to file in. Tony scowled as his gaze fell on you. “I thought this was a team meeting. What are you doing here, hot stuff?”

You arched a brow at the nickname. “It is a team meeting, Tony. Fury thought I could handle this one.”

Steve’s brows shot up. “Would you mind repeating that?”

“Just sit down,” you instructed the science bros. “It’s not that kind of meeting.” You passed a thin folder to everyone at the table. “Fury is expanding the team.”

“Sam Wilson, the Maximoff twins, and James Barnes have all been approved on a probationary basis.” From the corner of your eye you saw Steve sit straighter in his chair as a grin curled his lips. “Sam will maintain his own residence. The twins will be on the floor below Nat and Clint and Bucky will be on your floor, Steve.”

Not everyone looked particularly thrilled with the news you were giving them. “The information in the folders includes what they are required to do to maintain their status on the team. Steve, Bucky requires daily therapy for the time being, would you prefer I bring someone in?”

“Yes, please,” he responded with no hesitation.

You shifted your attention to Tony who just frowned at the folder in front of him. “Tony.” You’d said his name softly but it was enough to get his attention. He looked up with wide eyes.

“Yeah?”

“The twins need therapy, too. Three times a week. And then there are the after mission sessions. Should I see about getting one on staff?”

Natasha huffed a laugh. “I’m surprised Fury didn’t offer to move one in.”

You smiled at that. “Oh, he did. I didn’t think any of you would care for a SHIELD shrink when we can hire our own. Then you don’t have to worry about them reporting back to anyone.”

“See. This is why I like her,” Clint piped up. “Always thinking.”

Tony’s lips twitched for a second before he gave in and smiled. “Hire us a shrink, sweetheart.”

***

With Jarvis’ help it didn’t take you long at all to find the perfect candidate and he was quickly hired. Anxious to share the news with Tony you were talking before he could even acknowledge your presence in the lab. You read off the man’s qualifications and talked about his references and then realized Tony wasn’t commenting on anything you said.

You looked up from you tablet to find him smiling as he looked between the device in his hand and you. It was easy to see that you amused him. Your face heated. “Sorry, I ramble when I get excited.”

“I look forward to exploring that trait of yours in more detail later, but why are you so excited about hiring a team therapist? Or should I not ask? Is he handsome? Are you impressed by the size of his PHD?”

You blinked as your brain tried to catch up with your soulmate’s teasing. He was certainly in a flirtatious mood. As you looked him over, you realized that he had stripped down to a white tank. And coming from beneath it was a bright blue glow. “Um, Tony?”

“Yeah, Y/N?”

You gestured vaguely in his direction. “You’re glowing.” You tore your gaze from his chest to meet his eyes.

His brow furrowed and he glanced down. “I’m surprised you haven’t noticed before. It keeps me alive. Keeps shrapnel from going into my heart.”

That made your chest hurt. What if he wasn’t a genius? Would he already be dead? You sat your tablet down on the table and stepped around until you stood next to Tony, his eyes following you. “Can I see?”

He tilted his head and studied you for a long moment and you wondered what he was thinking. Finally, he emptied his hands and turned on his stool so he was facing you. In one swift movement, he took his tank off and tossed it on the table beside him. “Look all you want, sweetheart.”

You closed the small distance remaining between the two of you, your eyes glued to the device in his chest. No wonder your scar had never faded. This thing had to be inserted inside of him. It was a permanent wound. You reached your hand out to touch it before you caught yourself. “Sorry,” you said, snatching your fingers back just before you actually made contact.

Tony’s warm hand wrapped around yours and he tugged you closer. Your heart raced and you sucked in a deep breath as he laid your hand against his chest. He kept his over the top of it. “It’s called an arc reactor,” he explained. “It not only keeps me breathing, it powers the suit.”

You glanced up at the sound of his voice and swallowed past the lump in your throat as you realized just how close you were to him. “Does it hurt?”

He shrugged. “Hurt like hell at the time. Now, not so much.” His thumb rubbed against the hand he was holding making a tremor shoot through you.

You reached your other hand up and traced one of the many scars that decorated his skin. He hissed in a breath. Your first instinct was to apologize but you resisted the urge and looked up to meet Tony’s gaze. His eyes studied your face as the corner of his mouth kicked up in a grin. “If you’re planning on checking out all my scars, it’s going to take a while. Not that I mind. I just think you should be prepared.”

The two of you leaned toward each other and your eyelids closed as you prepared for the kiss.

“Ms. Potts is requesting that you meet her in your apartment, Mr. Stark.” Jarvis’ voice cut through the silence in the room and you took a giant step away from Tony as you were reminded of his girlfriend.

Your face was warm and you suddenly found yourself unable to meet his gaze.

“Thank you, Jarvis. Impeccable timing,” Tony bit out.

“Of course, sir.”

 You couldn’t keep yourself from glancing up. Tony gave you a smile as he put his shirt back on. His eyes stayed locked on yours as he gave instructions to the AI. “Tell Pepper I’ll meet her in her office.”

He stepped toward you, stopping when you took a step back to maintain the distance. He held up his hands and leaned against the table behind him so you knew he was giving you the space you needed right now. “Pepper is not my girlfriend.”

You bit your lip. “It’s not really my business.”

“I think it is.”

You glanced down briefly before looking back up. “Then does she know she’s not your girlfriend? Because I’m not so sure she does.”

His dark eyes studied you but he said nothing.

You cleared your throat and gestured toward the door. “I should go.”

He nodded once. “Just remember, sweetheart, we’re not even close to done here.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love guys!! So glad you are liking the story!

The Maximoff twins and Bucky Barnes arrived early the next morning. The twins were quiet, well Wanda was quiet. Pietro was quiet for all of about five minutes then his mouth started running fast enough to rival his feet. He was a natural flirt and had you and Natasha laughing in no time. The boys didn’t seem nearly as amused by his antics.

You’d just finished showing them around their floor and paused by the elevator. “All the information you need to know about SHIELD’s requirements for your probation is in the folder on the counter in the kitchen. You should review it. There will be a therapist on staff starting today. He will come here for your sessions so you don’t have to leave unless you choose to do so.”

“Thank you,” Wanda said giving you a small smile. “We appreciate your kindness.”

“Dr. Jones will only have access to the common floor. It’s up to you whether or not you allow him access to your private floor. If you need anything, just ask Jarvis and he’ll let me know, okay?”

They both nodded and you waved as you stepped onto the elevator to head to Steve’s floor.

It was quiet when you arrived and you tilted your head listening for any sounds. After a moment, you gave up and called out softly, hoping to get someone’s attention. “Hello? Cap? Sergeant?”

Steve’s head poked out of the door of a room down the hall and he smiled once he realized it was you. “Come on, Buck,” he said as he stepped into the hallway and headed in your direction. “Y/N.”

Bucky wore his long hair loose so it covered most of his face. You gave him a warm smile. “It’s an honor to have you here, Sergeant. Can I call you Bucky?”

He nodded once but kept his gaze focused on his feet. You shifted your attention to Steve figuring that would make the other man more comfortable. “You know you can move things around as you see fit. Dr. Jones starts today and will only have access to the common floor unless you choose to grant him access elsewhere. You got the folder of information on Fury’s restrictions and requirements?”

Steve crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Y/N.”

“Not a problem. I trust you to show him around.” You glanced back to the other super soldier and immediately saw his shoulders tense back up. “You can feel free to ask me if you need anything, Bucky. Or you can tell Steve and he can tell me. Or hell, talk to yourself and Jarvis can tell me.” His nod was so subtle you barely caught it. Your heart ached for this man. You didn’t know his full history but you knew enough.

“Anything, Steve,” you emphasized, knowing both men would be reluctant to trouble you. It was just how they were brought up.

You got into the elevator to head back to your floor and leaned against the back wall. “Jarvis, keep an eye on Sergeant Barnes for me please. Let me know if anything seems off.”

“Of course, Miss.”

***

A couple of hours filled with paperwork had passed before Jarvis announced the arrival of the therapist. You glanced at the clock as you told him to let the man up. It suddenly occurred to you that you hadn’t seen Tony all day. That wasn’t an oddity in and of itself as you normally only saw him when you headed to the lab. You had thought he might search you out after the almost kiss the day before but it was of no consequence that he hadn’t. The two of you weren’t love sick teenagers after all. You both had work to do.

The elevator dinged as it arrived on your floor and you stood to greet the psychiatrist. Barrett Jones wore a three-piece suit and a smile as he made his way to you. He did that thing where he shook your hand with both of his and you barely resisted the urge to cringe. You hated when people did that, particularly men. It was intrusive and always felt false to you somehow. You extricated from his grip as quickly as you could without being rude and gestured to a seat at the table.

You took the seat across from him and opened the file with all the paperwork he would need to fill out. “Thank you for coming in to get this taken care of.”

“Of course.” His grin was full of teeth and you shifted in your seat. There was no logical reason for you to feel uncomfortable in this man’s presence and yet you did.

You sucked in a breath and slid the first paper across the table to him. “This is a nondisclosure agreement. Read it then initial here and sign here.”

He passed it back to you almost immediately and you frowned at it. “Did you even read this?”

A shrug was his only answer.

You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose. You really hated it when people signed things without reading them. A shove sent the form back across the table. “I suggest you read that.”

“Look, sweetheart, I’m sure you’re great at your job and all, but I’m here to see Tony Stark not his secretary.” He crossed his legs and laid his hands together on top of his knee with the fingers laced together. You blinked as you processed the stupidity that just came out of his mouth. Obviously, this was not going to work.

“Jarvis, could you—”

“I’ve got this, J,” Tony’s voice interrupted and you looked up in surprise. You hadn’t even heard him arrive. He came around the table to stand beside you, placing one hand on the back of your chair. He leaned down to kiss you on the cheek. “You okay?”

You gave a slight nod as your lips twitched. You seriously could have handled this on your own but this was bound to be amusing. Tony had a low tolerance for bullshit.

“Mr. Stark, my name is Barrett Jones. I’m certain you’re familiar with my file. I just want to thank you for hiring me. It’s an honor, sir.” The asshole across from you stood and extended a hand for Tony to shake.

Tony looked at the hand then down to you. You had leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms over your chest in annoyance. “Never heard of you. Y/N?”

“Mr. Jones was to be our new attending psychiatrist. However, as it turns out he doesn’t suit. I was just about to have him escorted out when you arrived.”

He turned back to the other man. “Well, that’s that then. I assume you can show yourself out.”

Barrett looked between the two of you appalled. “You can’t be serious?”

Tony pursed his lips as he lifted one brow. “Ms. Y/L/N here was the one responsible for filling this position. If she says you don’t suit, that’s all I need to know.”

He huffed a laugh. “You won’t find anyone more qualified than me.”

You shrugged. His qualifications were impressive but there were more important things.

As the two of you just continued to look at him with blank expressions, a look of horror slowly formed on his face. “You can’t just decide not to hire me. I already quit my job at the hospital. I’ll sue.”

“For what? No contracts have been signed. Even if they had been, there is a no asshole clause so we could fire you anyway,” you informed him. “And you aren’t allowed to even tell anyone that you were here per the NDA which _you_ signed. So…”

“Last chance to leave on your own or I have you escorted out. You won’t like that option.”

His face turned red and he stormed to the elevator, which was open and waiting for him. As soon as the door slid shut, you spoke up. “Jarvis, make sure he receives a signed copy of the NDA by certified mail and monitor him on all channels for the foreseeable future.”

“Already in process, Miss.”

You stood from your chair to lean on the table so you and Tony were at a more even height. “So, what brought you down here anyway?”

He tilted his head as he smiled at you and took one hand in his. “Jarvis.”

You arched a brow. “I didn’t ask him to.”

“I told you he’s abnormally fond of you. He didn’t like the way the shrink was talking to you.”

“Well, thank you for coming to my rescue. I could have handled it, but thank you just the same.”

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should have to.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead. Your face heated under the attention. He grinned at you before turning to walk off, a hop in his step as he whistled a tune you didn’t recognize.

You followed him with your eyes until he disappeared onto the elevator with a little wave. Once he was out of sight you decided it was time to have a conversation with your favorite AI. “Jarvis, can I ask you a question?”

“Certainly, Miss.”

“Why do you look out for me like you do? You don’t do that for anyone else.” Having a conversation with someone you couldn’t see was odd so you focused on your feet as you spoke.

“Your assumption is incorrect. I often take similar actions for Mr. Stark.”

“Yes, well he’s your creator so that makes sense. But you just met me, which brings me back to why me?”

“Because you are Mr. Stark’s soulmate, of course.”


	8. Chapter 8

Jarvis’ announcement went through you like a cold wind, freezing you in place. Banner knowing was one thing. He was human, you could logically predict his behavior. You’d learned within your first week here that Jarvis was completely unpredictable. You cleared your throat. “What did you say?”

“When completing your background check, I discovered that on October 16 of your Sophomore year in college, you filed a report with campus police that your roommate had intervened, stopping a sexual assault the night before. That same morning Mr. Stark woke with bruising in the same locations as described in the report. He has been attempting to locate you since that day.”

You ran a hand down your face. His matter of fact tone somehow made you feel even more exhausted. “That being the case, why haven’t you told him what I am?”

“Because he hasn’t asked.”

“So, because Tony Stark hasn’t asked you if I am the soulmate he’s been looking for ten years you just haven’t told him?”

“You misunderstand, Miss Y/L/N. I have been programmed with a variety of search points which Mr. Stark asks me to run on a regular basis and report my findings. The last time he instructed me to look for his soulmate was the day before your arrival.”

That had been weeks ago at this point. You had to be running out of time. “How often does Tony ask you to run this search?”

“Prior to your arrival, he requested the protocol be ran no less than twice per week.”

***

You knew it was time to tell Tony. It would be so much worse if he heard it from Bruce or Jarvis. But every time you tried to start the conversation something would interrupt the two of you. First an urgent mission came up and Tony had to hurry off. Another time, Fury showed up. Twice you’d been interrupted by someone else on the team. It wasn’t the kind of thing you wanted to send in an email either. If you were completely honest there had been more than once that you’d chickened out.

“Yo, Y/L/N! You want to pay attention here?” Natasha called getting your attention and you realized that you’d been staring at Tony. His little smirk told you that he was very much aware of it as well.

Your face heated as you put your attention back on the assassin. “Yes, sorry.”

The team had apparently decided as a collective that you needed to learn some basic self-defense. Nat was using Clint to demonstrate and seemed to be enjoying herself more than she should. You’d no sooner had the thought then she flipped him over her shoulder and he landed on his back with thud.

“See, simple,” Nat said as her friend groaned from the mat.

Your lips twitched as you peered at Clint. “I think I missed something. Could you show me again?”

“Come on,” he groaned as he got to his feet.

You couldn’t stop the little laugh that escaped you. His attention turned to you and he narrowed his eyes as he looked you over. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I don’t need to see it again. I do appreciate your willingness to let Natasha throw you again for my sake.”

Nat joined you in your laughter while Clint continued to grumble. He looked past you to Tony. “She’s yours. Can’t you do something about this?”

If you thought your face warm before, it was nothing compared to the heat that flared when Clint said you were Tony’s. The billionaire in question cleared his throat and you didn’t dare turn to look at him. “I’ve told you before, Katniss, she works for all of us. Not just me.”

Clint chuckled and shrugged. “Sorry, forgot.”

Bullshit. He’d done that on purpose. You just weren’t certain if his intention was to embarrass you or Tony. You sighed and opted to ignore him. “As entertaining as your demonstration has been, I have had some pretty advanced defense training. Even some firearms training.”

Nat changed her stance and looked past you to either Steve or Tony who both stood behind you. “I thought you were from a pretty safe area,” Steve said as he approached.

You glanced over your shoulder and gave him a small smile. “I am. Sometimes things happen and sometimes you want to make sure they don’t happen again.” It was as close as you were going to get to discussing the incident in college. And you certainly couldn’t admit you’d renewed your previous training when you discovered Tony was your soulmate. Even before you knew he was Iron Man, his position and money would make him a target, and by extension you should you ever actually be together.

The silence stretched as they processed what you’d just admitted to. Natasha was the first to break it. “How about a demonstration from you then? It will help us pinpoint what to work on.”

You took her place on the mat and squared off against Clint. He grinned. “I’ll take it easy on you, Y/N.”

“I appreciate that, Hawkeye.”

He swung at you half-heartedly and you blocked him easily. He continued to increase his effort in relation to your response until the two of you were actually sparring. You knew he was taking it easy on you. Yes, your training had encompassed several different fighting styles, the focus being on adapting and using what you needed to take down your opponent, but you were no SHIELD agent. You thrust your hand forward, aiming for Clint’s nose. While he blocked that, you took advantage of his distraction and swept his legs out from under him.  

You grinned down at him and offered him a hand up. He took it and sprang to his feet. “Not bad,” he admitted with a tilt of his head. His gaze shifted from you to Nat. “She’s not going to be taking out any Hydra bases, but she’s good. Beyond what we intended to aim for, anyway.”

His praise had you beaming and you turned to face the others. Steve and Nat were smiling while Tony looked at you with a blank expression. “You okay there, Tony?” you finally asked when he didn’t move.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I’m not sure if I’m more scared or turned on, but I’m fine.”

A startled laugh came from you with his declaration which had him grinning.

Steve looked adorably uncomfortable and interrupted the brief moment. “I have to admit that I feel better knowing you have the ability to protect yourself if something should happen. I would encourage you to train with the team on occasion to keep your skills sharp.”

“I would love to. I sort of miss my training and I am always up to learning new skills.”

“Fantastic,” he said with a nod. “I’m sure you can make arrangements on your own.” With that he left.

“If you’re free now, I’ve got some time,” said Nat. “I’d like to see what you can do with a gun.”

A strangled sound came from Tony and you glanced at him with an arched brow. “I…uh. Yeah, that’s my cue to go. I’ll see you later, hot stuff.”

Your gaze followed him as he left the room, a fond smile on your face.

“I told you,” Clint’s voice said, interrupting your thoughts.

You turned back to the two assassins. “What?”

Nat smirked. “We knew he was crazy about you. I just didn’t know if the feeling was mutual. Clint was positive it was. Guess he was right.”

Your face heated again, making you annoyed with yourself. Tony Stark had you feeling like a shy schoolgirl again. Damn the man. “So, do I get to shoot something or what?”

It was plain to see neither agent was remotely fooled by your subject change though they let you get away with it just the same. You had a feeling that would be short lived however and decided to enjoy it while you could.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter catches this story up with where it is on tumblr. You can expect at least one chapter per week. :) Thank you so much for all the love. Happy Reading

That evening you were in the kitchen leaning on the counter while you flipped through a magazine. You were currently waiting for the timer to go off, signaling the lasagna you’d made for everyone was done. You briefly considered going back to your room while you waited but Steve and Clint both had a tendency to open the oven to see what was in it. No matter how many times you scolded them for messing up your cooking times, they still did it. It was easier to just play guard duty.

The elevator arrived on your floor and you glanced up, smiling when Wanda got off. The girl was still adjusting to life outside Hydra control but she was doing well. You really liked her. Where her brother was loud and abrasive, she was calm and contemplative. “Hey, Wanda.”

“Hello.” As usual, her voice was quiet. She sat on the stool across from you and folded her hands on top of the counter. A soft smile graced her lips. “I was wondering if I might talk to you about something?”

You straightened and closed the magazine, sliding it off to the side. “Of course. What’s going on?”

She glanced briefly around the room as if afraid someone might be listening before leaning closer. “You know the conditions of my probation with SHIELD, yes?”

“Sure.”

“One of the things I am not permitted to do is invade anyone’s mind. Fury was very clear about this.” Her hands twisted together betraying her nerves.

Reaching out, you rested one of your hands on top of hers. “It’s okay. Just tell me what’s going on.” You hoped she hadn’t broken any of her conditions. You didn’t want her to have to return to the facility.

Her tongue darted out to lick her lips and she nodded. “How do normal people determine if someone is good or bad?”

You frowned. “By their actions I guess.”

“No. I mean…” She sighed. “If you meet someone and there is something about them that makes you uneasy, how do you make certain they are a good person?”

“Oh.” You pulled your hand away from hers and turned to the fridge to get out the salad you’d made earlier. “There’s no way to know for sure. You just have to trust your gut.”

The bread had already been laid out on a sheet pan and you put it in the oven to warm up. Wanda’s gaze followed you as you moved around the kitchen getting out dressing, plates, and whatever else you decided was needed for dinner.

“Your gut?” she finally asked.

That stopped you for a moment and you grinned at her. “I’m sorry. You speak English so well, I always forget it’s not your first language.” She smiled at the compliment as you tried to decide the best way to explain the phrase. “It means trust yourself, I guess. Your instincts, your feelings tell you things for a reason and you should listen to them.”

“But they are wrong sometimes, yes?”

“Sure.” You shrugged. “The best thing to do is decide if the risk is worth it. For example, let’s say you meet a guy in a bar and your gut is telling you he is not a good guy. Not worth it. Then let’s say your brother introduces you to a new friend and you get the same feeling. It might be worth giving them a chance. Give them some time and get to know them. Maybe you’ll find out you were right or maybe not.”

Wanda appeared deep in thought as if considering your words carefully.

“Does that help at all?” you finally asked.

“Yes, I think it does. Thank you, Y/N.” She gave you a wide smile.

“Now I have to ask since you don’t leave the tower much, is there something I should know? Is someone bothering you?”

Her cheeks flushed. “No. Nothing like that. I am simply curious.”

You weren’t certain you believed her but it wasn’t your place to push. You’d leave that up to the new therapist. “Well, I’m here if you need anything. Just remember that.”

“Thank you, Y/N.”

“Something smells delicious,” Tony announced from the hall and you realized he must have taken the stairs down from the lab.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” you said, sharing a grin with Wanda.

He came into the kitchen, his mere presence immediately making the room feel half the size. His hand settled on your back and his lips brushed your ear. “I was talking about the food, but you smell delectable as well.”

You froze in shock as heat flooded your face. While you were trying to process what Tony had just done, he reached past you and plucked a tomato from the salad bowl. Your gaze trailed his hand as he popped the stolen food in his mouth and gave you a cheeky grin.

“Anthony Edward Stark, keep your fingers out of the food.”

His brows lifted and he shifted his focus to Wanda. “Uh, oh. All three names. I’m in trouble.”

You rolled your eyes and reached over to turn off the timer that was about to go off. You grabbed the large bowl of salad from the counter and passed if off to him. “Make yourself useful and put this on the table.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

The elevator dinged and you glanced at the clock. Right on time. The Avengers were nothing if not punctual. You pulled the food from the oven and placed it on the table as everyone took their seats in a flurry of noise. You went back to the kitchen to make sure everything was turned off. When you returned it was to find food already on your plate.

Tony gave you that cockeyed smile as you sat and your face heated again. “Thanks.”

He shrugged. “The way this group was going, I wasn’t certain there would be any left by the time you got back.”

“Hey, back off, Stark. Some of us have faster metabolisms,” Steve said with a teasing note in his voice.

“And some of us are just pigs,” Nat said as she elbowed Clint in the side.

Obviously, it didn’t bother him any as he reached for the last piece of garlic bread. Pietro snatching it out from under his fingers certainly did though. “Hey!”

The blond shrugged as he took a bite out of the bread. “What? You didn’t see that coming?”

There was a beat of silence then everyone burst into laughter. Well, everyone except Clint as he was too busy grumbling and Bucky who sat at the end of the table just watching everyone.

When Tony finished eating, he leaned back in his chair and ran his eyes over you. “I need a date for a charity event on Saturday.”

“Okay.” You drew the word out uncertain if he was just letting you know or was asking you out. It hadn’t really been a question.

“I thought Pepper usually went to those things with you,” Steve piped up earning him an elbow in the rib from Nat.

Tony narrowed his gaze as he glanced at Steve. “Yeah, Pepper’s not really an option anymore.” He looked back to you. “So I was thinking…”

“Yes?” you prompted when he didn’t continue on his own.

“It would be great, wonderful even, if you could find me a date.”

You blinked several times. Surely you hadn’t heard that correctly. “Excuse me?”

He sat up in his seat. “It shouldn’t be hard at all. Jarvis has a list of acceptable options. They’re in order of preference. You just see who’s available and set everything up. It would save me a load of time. Thanks, Y/N/N.”

Before you could even formulate a response, he pushed himself up from his chair. “I’ve got to get back to work. Let me know how it goes.”

Your gaze followed him until he disappeared into the elevator. The room was silent for another beat before Clint spoke up. “Did he just…”

“Yes, he did,” Nat answered him though her gaze was on you.

You should be irritated, angry even, but you weren’t. This was Tony after all. Something told you he was up to something. “If you all will excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

Bruce cleared his throat. “Yeah, of course. We’ll clean up.”

You could feel the weight of everyone’s gaze as you walked over to the elevator. As soon as the doors slid shut, Jarvis spoke up. “To the lab, Miss?”

“Yes, Jarvis. Thank you.”

“Would you be interested in discussing Mr. Stark’s list of acceptable dates for the charity gala now, Miss Y/L/N?”

“That won’t be necessary.” If you were wrong about Tony, you didn’t really want to know. Besides, you had no intention of allowing him to go with anyone else anyway.  

“Are you certain, Miss?” he asked as the elevator slid to a stop.

“Yes, Jarvis. I’m certain.”

“Very well.”

You could almost hear the disappointment in his voice as the doors slid open. Tony was in the hallway in front of you, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He watched you head in his direction with a little smirk playing on his lips. “Miss Y/L/N.”

“Really, Tony?”

“What?” He feigned innocence very poorly.

“Find you a date. Seriously?”

He laughed and pushed himself off the wall to stand straight. “Come on. That was funny.”

You just looked at him without saying anything.

He closed the distance between you and settled his hands on your hips. “I thought you’d think it was cute.”

“Cute?”

His shoulders lifted in a little shrug. “Yeah, your name being the only one on the list.”

Okay, that was kind of sweet. “I didn’t check the list.”

His brow furrowed. “Then, how why are you here?”

“We have been flirting for weeks. You were just short of making a move today. I think I know you well enough by now to know you didn’t actually expect me to find you a date with someone else.”

He hummed low in his throat and leaned his face closer to yours. His eyes moved between your lips and your eyes. “And what if you were wrong?”

“Then we were going to have a long talk, Mr. Stark.”

He closed the remaining distance and pressed his lips to yours. You immediately responded, your heart racing as his tongue traced your bottom lip asking for entrance. You opened and your tongues danced together. Your head spun and your chest felt full, light. As cheesy as that sounded, you couldn’t think of another way to describe it. You’d never felt anything like it. But then, you’d never kissed your soulmate before.

Your palms laid flat on his chest and you pushed lightly to put just a bit of distance between you. “Wow,” Tony breathed as the two of you separated.

“Yeah,” you agreed as the two of you stared at each other.

He rested his forehead against yours. “I don’t think. I’ve never felt anything like that.”

You sucked in a deep breath. You were never going to get a better opportunity to confess. “I need to tell you something.”

“Anything.” He placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

“I—”

“Mr. Rogers has asked me to inform you that a code red call has come in, Mr. Stark. Your presence is required immediately,” Jarvis interrupted.

Tony grasped your upper arms and put a little more distance between you even as he frowned at the ceiling. “We really got to talk about your timing, buddy.” He looked back to you with a sad smile. “Can it wait?”

You nodded once, though a little voice was telling you that you were going to regret putting this off any longer. “Of course. You better go.”

“I’ll call when I can.” He pressed a quick kiss to your lips then turned to jog toward the stairwell. He turned just before he got to the door. “That was a yes to the date, right?”

“You didn’t actually ask, but yes.”

“Good.” With that he disappeared through the door. A moment later it opened back up and he stuck his head through the opening. “You’re not married, are you?”

You chuckled. “Pretty sure that would have shown up on the background check, Stark.”

“Right, yeah, good.” He disappeared again only for him to almost immediately pop back out.

You stopped him before he could say anything else. “Tony, go. We’ll talk when you get back.”

He grinned. “Okay, I’m going.”

You waited a couple of minutes to make certain he wasn’t going to make another appearance, then headed to the elevator. As you made your way to your room, you ran your fingers along your still tingling lips and grinned at the reminder that you’d finally kissed your soulmate.


	10. Chapter 10

It was three days later and the team was still gone on their mission. You hadn’t heard from any of them other than a quick text from Tony to tell you that he wasn’t going to make it back in time for Saturday. In fact, they had no idea when they would be back. So, you busied yourself with rearranging schedules as needed and checking in on Bucky and the twins.

They’d all taken to spending more time on your floor with the others gone, which you appreciated. You’d never been one to prefer your own company. You glanced at the time and frowned. Wanda was supposed to have met you half an hour ago so you could take her shopping for some new clothes. It wasn’t like her to be late.

“Jarvis, can you give me a location on the team in residence, please?”

“Sergeant Barnes and Mr. Maximoff are in the training facilities and Ms. Maximoff is in her residence. Shall I summon them for you?”

You thought for a moment. “No, thank you anyway.” You had to go by Wanda’s floor on the way down, so you might as well stop and pick her up. After grabbing your purse, you made your way to the elevator and asked for twins’ floor.

The silence made you frown when you stepped out of the elevator. Wanda almost always had some sort of music playing. You started to call out for her but stopped, an uneasy feeling settling in your gut. You stepped carefully, trying to stay quiet. When you arrived at the point you could see into the kitchenette, you stilled. Wanda was pressed against the wall, the look on her face full of fear and defeat. The psychiatrist you'd hired the day after dismissing Jones was towering over her, leaving barely any space between them.

“Dr. Bradford, I wasn’t aware you were still here.” Your voice cracked through the silence like a whip. The man turned to look at you. His movements were casual as if you hadn’t just caught him preying on one of his patients. Wanda’s gaze darted over to you as the doctor took a step back and relief flooded her features.

“Ms. Y/L/N.” His smile was wide and friendly. “Wanda and I were just finishing up our session.”

You arched a brow. “Is that what you’re calling this? Step away from my friend.”

His gaze narrowed as he tilted his head. Taking a step in your direction, he held out his hands in a gesture of innocence you weren’t buying for a minute. “I’m not sure what you think you walked in on here, but I can assure you that I did nothing wrong.”

“You can stop right there,” you told him. If he thought you wouldn’t notice him creeping closer to you, he was even stupider than you’d already pegged him. You shifted your gaze to Wanda. “Go to your room. Lock the door.”

She hesitated, looking between you and the doctor and you gave her a soft smile. “It’s fine. Jarvis will keep an eye on me.” And you were far less likely to be distracted if you didn’t have anyone to worry about besides yourself.

Bradford laughed, and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re making entirely too big of a deal over this. I didn’t do anything she didn’t welcome.”

You just continued to watch him. Wanda’s questions of how to determine if someone is a good man made sense now. “Jarvis, is Happy here today?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Fantastic. Tell him his presence is required here ASAP. Also tell Buck and Pietro to return to the living quarters.” You waited for him to verify the order before turning all of your attention back to the asshole in front of you. “Since you seem to not be as intelligent as your resume suggested, perhaps I should take the opportunity to advise you that you are fired. You will receive no further pay and you are no longer permitted on any Stark or Avenger properties.”

He straightened his spine as he closed some of the distance between you. It was a tactic you were more than used to from bullies as he tried to make himself appear larger than he actually was. You weren’t that easily intimidated. “I told you that nothing happened. I was simply talking to my patient. You can’t prove otherwise. If you fire me, I’ll take you to court.”

“Try it. I’ll place an ad on every station and in every paper asking for any of your former patients that have been sexually harassed or assaulted by you to come forward. Something tells me I’d get a response or two.” You pressed your lips together to keep from saying the hundred other things that hovered on the tip of your tongue.

“I’ll sue you and Stark Industries for libel, slander and anything else my attorney can come up with,” he insisted. Dollar signs danced in his eyes and you resisted the urge to tell him the contract he signed prohibited him from proceeding with any court action without attempting mediation first. The contract was worded in such a way to ensure the case would never make it to court.

Just as he moved to take another step toward you, the elevator arrived. “Y/N?” Happy called as he walked into the apartment.

You didn’t bother to respond because he was at your side seconds later. He looked between you and Bradford. “What’s going on?”

“The charming doctor here was harassing Wanda. I want him gone and make sure he doesn’t come back, please.”

Happy nodded once and strode over to Bradford. “It would be a pleasure.” When the doctor tried unsuccessfully to remove his arm from Happy’s grasp, you smiled. He used to be a boxer and still had the build. It was unlikely Bradford was going to be going anywhere Happy didn’t want him to.

You stepped aside to make a clear path for Happy and his charge. The elevator arrived again, bringing Buck and Pietro with it. Their concerned frowns twisted to looks of confusion as they took in Happy and Bradford. “Would you gentlemen accompany Happy to make sure the doctor behaves himself?”

Pietro looked between him and you before trying to see further into the apartment.

“She’s fine,” you assured him in a soft voice and his features relaxed. You waited for them all to disappear behind the door before you went to find your resident witch. “It’s me,” you called as you knocked softly on the door.

It swung open and arms wrapped around you as she buried her face in your shirt. “He is gone?”

You returned the hug. “He’s gone and not coming back.”

After a moment you leaned back to look at her. “Did he do anything to you?”

Her brow furrowed in confusion.

“Did he touch you?”

“Just small touches. My arms, my hair. Nothing like what you are asking, no.” She stepped away from you and crossed her arms over her chest, clearly not comfortable talking about this.

You steered her toward the living room with a hand on her back. “Has this happened before?”

She shook her head, her wild hair tossing with the motion. “No. He had made comments. I thought maybe I was misunderstanding him. Nothing like today.”

Wanda sat in a chair and you perched on the coffee table across from her. “Is this why you were asking about good people and bad people.”

She nodded.

You sucked in a breath and asked the one question you really didn’t want to. You were afraid it would sound like you were blaming her, but you needed to know. “Why didn’t you defend yourself, Wanda? I know you’re capable.”

Her eyes widened in fear. “I do not wish to go back to the institute. I like it here.”

“You believe the restrictions placed on you by SHIELD prohibit you from protecting yourself?”

“The document says no exceptions.”

Indeed, it did. Likely, the agent that drafted it hadn’t anticipated her being attacked before she was released as a full member of the team. You patted her knee. “I’ll take care of this. Why don’t you bring the boys up to my floor? We’ll order pizza and have a sleepover. You guys can crash in the guest rooms.”

She smiled. “Yes. That sounds perfect. I will tell them and we will be up shortly.”

***

“I am sorry, Miss Y/L/N, but the Director is incredibly busy. He just doesn’t have time today.” You were speaking to Phil Coulson on the large screen in the main living area.

“You told me that the other three times I called, Agent Coulson.” Your tone was short. You were beyond irritated. Not with Coulson. It was Fury that was refusing to speak with you, not the Agent currently on the screen.

He shrugged. “And I’m afraid the answer will not be changing today. Perhaps if you tried tomorrow?” As always, his voice was level, calm. She could see him giving orders in battle with the same demeanor.

“All right, Agent. Why don’t you record and relay this message to your boss?” You waited for him to nod compliance before continuing. You were done playing Fury’s games. “I need to speak with him. It is a matter of safety and security for Sergeant Barnes and the Maximoff twins. He will contact me to resolve this matter at his earliest convenience. He should also be aware that as soon as the courthouse opens tomorrow that I will be filing every injunction, cease and desist, order of protection, and anything else I can think of against SHIELD.”

“I feel I should remind you that we are not without our own resources, Miss Y/L/N.” His eyes were searching as if trying to ascertain whether you were bluffing or not.

“And I feel I should remind you that the courthouse opens at 8 AM.” With that you disconnected the call.

The sound of clapping drew your attention and you turned to find your three dinner companions in the kitchen. “I thought Steve owned the title for biting off more than he could chew, but you might just have him beat, doll,” Bucky said. 

You chuckled. “I wouldn’t worry about me, Barnes. I can handle myself.”

“That’s what Steve always said, too.” He scratched the side of his head as he shot you a look that was a mix between disbelief and admiration.

“Menu’s on the counter. Order the food,” you instructed, knowing full well that was one of the first skills they learned upon moving into the tower.

“Director Fury is on the line,” Jarvis interrupted.

“Of course, he is,” you said with a grin. “Put him on.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some language in this chapter. As always, thank you for all the love. You guys rock.

You were the first one up the next morning, which didn’t surprise you in the least. Dressed in pajama pants and a loose t-shirt, you made your way into the kitchen and pushed the button to start the coffee. You tapped your fingers on the counter as you waited for it to brew. As soon as you had it prepared the way you liked it, you padded into the living room.

“Mr. Stark on the line for you.”

That brought a grin to your face as you settled on the sofa. “Put him on, J.”

Tony’s face immediately filled the screen. His eyes ran over you and the corners of his mouth kicked up. “God, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”

“You haven’t been gone that long, Tony,” you said, smirking over the top of your coffee cup.

He shrugged. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

You shook your head. “I doubt you called to chat, so what can I do for you?”

“I got a phone call this morning.” That was all he said before looking at you expectantly.

“Okay?” There was something you were obviously missing.

He shifted his weight. “Let me rephrase that. I got a phone call from Fury this morning.”

“Oh?” You tried to sound surprised but were certain you failed miserably. You’d kind of hoped Tony would never find out about that conversation. For one thing you loved your job. For another you loved your boss. Despite numerous indications to the contrary you really weren’t trying to piss him off.

“Oh, she says.” He looked to someone off screen and gestured toward you. When he turned back he licked his lips and his smile widened a bit. “Did you really threaten court action against SHIELD if he didn’t return your call?”

“No,” you corrected. “I told Coulson that he could call me back when he chose but that I would be at the courthouse to file papers this morning. I just happened to decide not to after we came to a mutual understanding.”

He looked at you for a moment before laughing, the action making him look years younger. “I’ve got to hand it to you, sweetheart. You never cease to surprise me.”

“You have no idea,” you muttered.

He tilted his head. “What was that?”

“Nothing. Why did Fury call you anyway? Our discussion had nothing to do with you.” You were curious but you also just wanted to change the subject.

“He let me know in no uncertain terms that he would be displeased if you lost your job with the team. He’s rather fond of you. And I don’t think he’s fond of anyone.” Tony sounded slightly shocked as he made the admission.

And if you were honest, you were pretty pleased with yourself. “He likes Maria.”

“Hill? Yeah, I guess he does.” He glanced off the screen again. “Yeah, I’m getting to it.”

Your lips twitched. “Is there a reason everyone is off screen but you?”

“Well, I was trying to have a conversation with my girl but they all want to know what happened and apparently don’t trust me to tell them later.”

A little thrill went through you when he called you his girl. You couldn’t help it.

He leaned forward and turned whatever device he was using so you could see everyone else on the other side of the room. They all said hi and waved to you while you waved back. After a moment he turned the camera to the original position. “So, what exactly happened? Fury didn’t go into specifics.”

You sat your now empty coffee cup on the table in front of you and pursed your lips. “I found Dr. Bradford harassing Wanda. She didn’t defend herself because she didn’t want to violate the terms of her probation.”

“What?” The voice came from off screen but you were pretty sure it was Clint. He’d kind of taken the twins under his wing, his affection for Wanda obvious. He liked Pietro too though it was shown in more of a ‘this guy really pisses me off’ way.

“She’s fine,” you were quick to add. “But that couldn’t stand. They have to be able to defend themselves without repercussions. Fury and I went back and forth for a bit but we rewrote the probation agreement. I can send it to you or you can review it when you get back.”

Tony watched you for a moment, his dark eyes studying you. “Part of the reason this works is because we trust you, Y/N.” His voice had turned soft. “We’ll look at it when we get back. Which should be soon by the way.”

You nodded though he didn’t see it because he’d looked away again.

His gaze was quick to come back to you. “Got to go, Babe. Talk to you later.” He cut the connection before you even had a chance to respond.

***

You were halfway through your second cup of coffee when you heard a thud followed by a quiet shout. “Jarvis?” you said immediately, hoping he’d picked up the cause in his monitoring.

“It appears Sergeant Barnes is having a nightmare, Miss. Shall I wake him?”

“I don’t think an AI waking him up is going to help anything,” you said as you got to your feet. You hurried to the room you’d set up for Bucky and knocked on the door. “Buck?”

When the only response was another low shout, you opened the door. You sincerely hoped Bucky didn’t sleep in the nude. Your gaze fell on the bed and your chest ached a little at the sight before you. The sweat soaked soldier was tangled in the sheets. Hair covered his face as he twisted and turned. The only word you could understand from his muffled shouts was ‘no’.

Stepping closer to the bed, you called his name again. “Bucky, wake up, honey. It’s okay. Nothing here is going to hurt you.” When he didn’t respond, you repeated the words only louder.

Anxiety swamped you—far more than the situation warranted, in fact. As you were trying to figure out why, you placed a hand on Bucky’s shoulder. Sometimes you were really fucking stupid.

In a flash, the super soldier’s hand on was on your chest and he used it to shove you backward across the room. Somehow, you’d managed to angle yourself so it was your shoulder that slammed into the doorframe instead of your spine. You grunted as the pain flared through you. “Ow.”

Bucky’s face immediately cleared and he held up both hands as he took a large step backward. You watched his expression as he processed what was going on. When his eyes went wide and guilt contorted his features, you immediately closed the distance between the two of you. You placed your hands on his upper arms to keep him from moving away from you. “Hey. It’s okay. I’m okay.”

He shook his head and jerked away from you, moisture flooding his eyes. “No. I hurt you. I could have—”

You cut him off there. “You could have but you didn’t. This is my fault, Barnes, not yours. You were simply trying to get me out of your space. I knew better than to wake you up like that. I’m sorry.”

He huffed and raked a hand through his hair. “I hurt you and you’re the one apologizing?” He turned from you and paced back and forth on a tiny section of his floor with his hands on his hips. “Damn it!” His fist punching the wall emphasized his statement. You’d worry about him hurting himself, but he’d used the metal hand.

“Bucky, seriously, it’s fine. I don’t want you—” You cut off with a yell as you bent forward and pressed a hand against the side of your face. A jolt of pain rocked through your entire body, almost as if you had impacted with something and that overwhelming anxiety was back. What the hell?

“Y/N, are you okay?” Bucky sounded frantic and for some reason you got the impression it wasn’t the first time he’d asked.

“What’s going on?” you heard Pietro ask from the doorway.

You breathed out in a long, steady stream before straightening. The pain was gone as quick as it had come, only the ache in your shoulder remaining. Your hand dropped and Bucky’s eyes went almost comically wide. “What the hell, Y/N?”

“What is it?” Wanda piped up and you turned to face her. Her gaze narrowed and pure fury flashed across her face as she brought her hands up. She turned her glare on Bucky. “You hurt her.”

“No! Stop Wanda,” you yelled as red tendrils began to surround her hands. “It wasn’t him.”

She frowned and dropped her hands. You glanced between them to find them all looking at you with varying degrees of worry and confusion. With a sigh, you went to the closest mirror and gasped. The right side of your face was covered with a series of darkening bruises. What the hell had Tony done this time?

***

After explaining to the others that you had a soulmate without mentioning who it was, you excused yourself to your room. You looked horrible but at least the bruising on face had taken Bucky’s mind from what happened when you woke him. Your shoulder still ached as you slid your shirt off and turned to look at it in the mirror. Shit. That was going to bruise. And badly.

Putting your shirt back on, you sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. Something had changed in your connection with Tony. You’d never been able to feel his emotions or his pain before. That overwhelming anxiety had to come from him, right? You’d really like to ask him if he knew what the hell was going on, but that might be a little awkward since you hadn’t told him you were his soulmate yet.

You growled in frustration. What was wrong with you? The one person that could probably help you with this, you couldn’t ask. You sighed and dropped your head into your hands. And if anything, that anxious feeling you’d had earlier had only gotten worse. You weren’t certain how long you sat like that before Jarvis interrupted you.

“You have a voice only call from Dr. Banner, Miss.”

You cleared your throat and laid back on your bed, wincing at the pressure on your shoulder. “Put him through.”

“Hey, Bruce. What’s up?”

“What’s up? What the fuck is wrong with you? What’s going on over there? Christ, Y/N. I’m going crazy over here and you’re all ‘what’s up’.” Bruce was obviously more than a little irritated.

You could hear the sounds of the jet in the background as you sat up. “Calm down, Bruce. You know what happens when you get excited.”

“Hulk’s not going to show up just because I’m pissed at you. Trust me.”

“What did I do?”

He grumbled but you couldn’t make out the words. When he spoke up, it was little more than a strained whisper and you were certain that wherever he was on the jet, he was trying not to be overheard. “Let me paint a picture for you, Y/N. The team was in the middle of a fight when all of a sudden, Tony feels this overwhelming wave of fear and a horrible pain in his shoulder. It’s so distracting that he loses his focus, takes a hit and crashes.”

You gasped.

“He’s fine. Just a little beat up. And going out of his fucking mind about what happened to his soulmate and why he can feel her all of a sudden.” The last words were as close to a yell as he could get while whispering. “He’s freaking out talking about his soulmate in one breath and you in the next and how he needed to find her but didn’t want to hurt you and you’re the same fucking person and his helmet is messed up and he can’t get Jarvis or he’d already be looking for her, you, whatever, and I swear by every scientific law in existence that if you don’t tell him I will because I’ve never seen him like this and I don’t like it, Y/N, this isn’t Tony, this is some weird version of Tony and you need to fix it because I don’t like him like this—”

“Okay, Bruce,” you interrupted when it was obvious he wasn’t going to take a breath any time soon. “I’ll tell him when you get back.”

There was a brief stretch of silence. “You will?”

“I’d already planned on it. Besides, look at him. I get his bruises, too, remember? It’s not like I can hide this.”

“I guess I didn’t consider that.” He sounded much calmer and you were no longer worried he was going to Hulk out on the jet.

“There’s just one thing I want to know,” you said. “The man wears a metal suit. How does he get so beat up all the time?”


	12. Chapter 12

When Jarvis announced that the jet would be landing momentarily, you made your way to the hangar. You stood to the side, arms crossed over your chest as you watched the team unload. Your gaze ran over them, relief flooding through you when you saw only the typical minor injuries.

Your friends shouted their hellos until they got close enough to see the bruising on your face. “What happened?” Clint demanded.

They gathered around you with a variety of concerned expressions. “Was it Bucky?” Steve asked in a low voice. “He said there was an incident.”

You rolled your eyes. “It wasn’t that big of a deal, Steve and no, this isn’t from Bucky.”

“Then what—”

Bruce cut Steve off as he steered the team toward the hall where their lockers were. “When she wants to tell us, she’ll tell us.” He stopped at the door and glanced over at you. “He went in upstairs. Good luck.”

You nodded once and hurried up to Tony’s floor, not wanting to lose the little nerve you had left. When you arrived in his apartment, you didn’t see any sign of him. “Tony?” you called.

“I’ll be right there.”

With your arms crossed over your chest, you wandered over to the window to glance out at the city below. His floor wasn’t that much higher than your own, but something about the view up here was just better.

“There’s my girl,” he announced as he came into the room and you were suddenly terrified.

What if he was disappointed that you were his soulmate? He’d try to hide it if he was, but you’d know.  God, why did you think any of this was a good idea? Coming to New York, finding Tony Stark, going to work for him, it was all a horrible idea.

Tony let out a soft laugh behind you, closer now but still plenty of distance between the two of you. “You going to turn around, sweetheart?”

Knowing you couldn’t hide from him forever, you turned. His eyes went wide as he saw you and he closed the distance between you in several long strides. He laid his hand along the unbruised side of your face and his eyes searched you as if looking for any other injury. “What the hell happened, baby?”

You darted out your tongue to moisten your lips. “I was hoping you could tell me.”

His brow furrowed in confusion. You saw the moment he made the connection. The fingers of his free hand trailed over his own bruising. “Do you mean…”

He trailed off and you nodded in answer to the unfinished question.

A smile, brighter than any you’d ever seen from him, crossed his face. You only had a moment to appreciate it before he cupped your face in his hands and pressed his lips to yours. The kiss was happy, you really couldn’t think of a better word to describe it. After a moment he pulled away and pressed his forehead to yours. “When did you realize?”

“What?” you asked, needing him to clarify as you were still in a daze from his kiss.

He laughed again and linked his fingers with yours to pull you over to the couch. You both sat, your knees touching as you turned toward each other. His fingers stayed intertwined with yours. “When did you know you were my soulmate? Was it after you saw the reactor? I can only imagine the scarring you have there. I’m sorry about that.” He frowned. “Wait. My shoulder. Your shoulder.”

A second later, he was turning you so he could lift your shirt to see the bruising on your back. His fingers ran over it causing you to shiver as he tickled your skin. “What happened? You were scared. I felt it.”

“I woke Bucky up from a nightmare, stupidly getting in his space to do so. When he shoved me backward, I hit the doorframe.”

“He what?” His voice was low, little more than a growl and you weren’t certain you had ever heard him so angry.

You spun quickly and grabbed his hands in yours. “I’m fine. It was instinct. He didn’t mean to hurt me and he feels terrible.”

“He should,” Tony snapped. Once he took in the look on your face, he relaxed a bit. “I’m sorry. I’ve spent most of my life worrying about a woman I didn’t even know. Then you show up and suddenly all I can think about is you. And now, I find out you’re the same person. I’m bound to be a little protective.”

His thumbs ran along the back of your hands. “Now, for the third time, how did you find out? Why didn’t you tell me the moment you knew? Surely you couldn’t think I’d be anything but thrilled. I mean it’s pretty obvious that I think you’re amazing. And we’ve had this connection from the moment we met. I guess the universe does occasionally know what it’s up to.”

You pulled your hands from his and stood. When he moved to follow, you motioned him back down. You took a deep breath. “Actually, I had no idea how you would react.” You twisted your fingers together. “And no idea how to tell you. I didn’t even know you.”

Tony’s gaze was heavy as you paced the floor in front of him. “I was doing my laundry when I glanced up at the TV. You were holding a press conference I was only half listening to, but there was your face with injuries that matched my own.”

You risked a glance at Tony only to find you were unable to read him at all. He merely kept his gaze locked on you as you continued to ramble out the story. “That was when you first came home. I didn’t tell anyone. I couldn’t. No one would believe me anyway. But my parents figured it out and bought me a plane ticket to New York.”

“I tried everything I could to make contact with you, but I couldn’t get through. Finally, I just showed up and the lady at the desk mistook me for whoever you had an appointment with and, well, I guess you know the rest.”

The silence stretched as Tony simply sat there with a blank look on his face and stared at you. Finally, he stood in front of you. When you reached for him, he took a step back and you let your hand fall. “So, you knew the entire time and said nothing.”

It wasn’t a question and you didn’t know what he expected you to say anyway, so you remained quiet.

“You never once registered with any of the databases. I know because I looked for you. For years I looked. As soon as I knew you existed, I started trying to find you. The thought that someone out there was made for me. That the universe thought I was worth having a soulmate…” He trailed off and shook his head as he turned away from you.

Your heart ached as you watched him try to calm himself down. He ran a hand down his face before turning back to face you. Pain swam in his eyes causing your own sorrow to well in sympathy. “You didn’t try to find me. But once you discovered who I was, well that was a different story, wasn’t it? Tony Stark, billionaire. You can overlook a lot of shit for that much money, can’t you, sweetheart?”

Now you were pissed. You didn’t care about Tony’s money. You never had. “How exactly did you propose I go about finding you, Tony? Ninety percent of my marks were love bites and claw marks on my back. I suppose I could have made a post in one of the databases that said I was fairly certain that my soulmate had slept with everyone within twelve miles of his dick.” You’d never cared to admit how much it hurt you that your soulmate slept around so much. Especially once he was aware of your existence.

“It sounds like my sex life bothered you, but once again, we can look past that if the bank account comes with enough zeros, right? After all, that’s the most important thing about me. The money, the fame, everyone knows that.”

You could tell from the way he said it that he meant it and you were torn between being pissed at him for your own sake and being pissed that he thought so poorly of himself.

When you didn’t immediately respond, he scoffed. “Pepper told me you were up to something. I should have listened to her.”

You laughed, harsh and angry. “Yes, because Pepper Potts has no interest in either your money or your fame. Nice judge of character there, Stark.”

“I know she never asked me for a credit card when she knew me for less than 48 hours, but you go ahead and tell me how it’s not about the money, Y/N.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on his feet as he looked you over.

You barely resisted the urge to smack him across his smug little face. “I don’t think there’s any point in telling you anything. You know everything after all. Maybe I should just leave.”

A flash of panic was visible for a moment so short it was easy to convince yourself that you imagined it. “Maybe you should.”

Your jaw ached as you ground your teeth together to keep from saying anything you’d regret. His back was turned toward you as you stepped into the elevator and instructed Jarvis to take you to your floor. This was so not how you’d pictured this conversation going.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love. While, I could end this story with this chapter, it's not done yet. More is coming.

As luck would have it, the team was gathered in the main living area on your floor. The one time you didn’t want to see them and they were all there. More than one called your name as you passed and you held up a hand to stave off the questions. You so weren’t in the mood for questions.

You slammed your door behind you and dug through the closet until you found your suitcase. After tossing it on the bed, you threw it open and started dumping clothes inside. That lasted about three armfuls before you got pissed at it, too. “Fuck!” you yelled and shoved the bag away from you.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, you dropped your head into your hands. This was so stupid. The whole thing. Tony. You. Soulmates. It was all stupid as hell. You gave another scream of frustration only to be interrupted by a knock on your door. “What?”

“It’s Nat.”

With a sigh you pushed yourself up and opened the door to let her in. You gave her an insincere smile as you shut the door behind her. “Hey.”

“So,” she said drawing out the word. “Soulmates, huh?”

You were only stunned for a second before shaking it off. “Bruce?”

She pursed her lips and nodded. “To be fair, he kind of had to tell us. The boys were about ready to lose their shit over your face.”

You hummed in agreement and leaned against your dresser. Nat pushed your suitcase further to the center of the bed to sit beside it. “Going somewhere?”

“I guess that’s up to Tony. I don’t want to go anywhere, but I’m not sure he wants me to stick around. I could always go home I guess.” You shrugged as if it was unimportant, but of course it was. It’s your entire life.

“I’m pretty sure you are home, Y/N,” Nat said, not meeting your eye and you had to resist the urge to cry. No crying in front of the assassins damn it.

 “Thanks.” You’re proud for getting that word out without it being evident you were on the verge of tears. You kept your eyes locked on where you were toeing the carpet.

She sighed. “Look. I will never be Tony’s biggest fan. We’ve got too many issues, but I do know that he’s had to deal with more than his share of shit. And I know that he loves you.”

That got your attention. You jerked your head up and met her eyes.

“He wouldn’t shut up about you the whole mission. I’m pretty sure I heard about your kiss a dozen times and I could recite detail for detail the perfect date he intends to take you on. You know, whenever he gets his head out of his ass.”

You huffed a laugh at that.

Natasha smirked before turning serious once more. “Can I ask you a question?”

You nodded permission.

“Why didn’t you tell him from the beginning that you were his soulmate?”

“Lots of reasons. Mainly I wanted to know that he was interested in me because of me, not because fate said he should be.”

She lifted her chin and tilted her head slightly. “I can understand that. I can also understand being disappointed when you find out the person you thought liked you for you knew they were your soulmate the whole time. I would probably come up with all sorts of reasons why they hadn’t told me, whether they were true or not.”

You frowned and she just continued to sit quietly and study you. Finally, you shook your head and pushed away from the dresser. “Damn it, Nat.”

Her lips twitched and there was that smirk again. She stood and paused at the door before leaving. “I’ll get everyone out of here. You do what you think you need to do. At the end of the day it’s between you and Tony. The rest of us don’t matter.”

Your gaze followed her until she disappeared behind the door then you sat on the end of the bed and dropped your head back into your hands.

***

Tony and you needed to finish your conversation, but you weren’t about to head back to his floor without calming down first. It took a couple of hours before you felt like you wouldn’t explode if he said the wrong thing. Your teeth worried at your lip as you took the elevator up.

When you stepped out in Tony’s apartment, your gaze ran around the room taking everything in. The lights were dim and some nature documentary played on the TV though the sound was muted. Tony sat on the couch with a half full glass in his hand and a nearly empty bottle on the table in front of him. Whatever he was drinking, he’d hit it hard. His gaze was empty as he stared off into space.

“Tony?” you said quietly to get his attention as you stepped closer to him.

His eyes darted over to you then back to the glass in his hand. “I thought you left.”

“I left the room, Tony, not the tower. We weren’t getting anywhere yelling at each other.” You wrapped your arms around your waist like a shield. This man had your whole heart whether he wanted it or not. You weren’t certain what you would do if he turned you away.

He draped his arm across the back of the couch and met your gaze. That fake half-smile you hated so much—the one he wore when he wanted everyone to think nothing bothered him—twisted his lips. “Is there something I can do for you, Y/N?”

You closed your eyes and clenched your teeth as you counted in your head. You hated this mask he wore and loathed that he felt the need to do it with you. It made your heart physically ache in your chest. You sucked in a deep breath through your nose and moved over to sit on the table in front of him. His eyes followed you as you settled yourself, pressing your knees together so they fit in between his without touching him. Your palms together, you wedged your hands between your thighs to keep from fidgeting.

“When I was a kid, a teenager I guess, I didn’t care that I had a soulmate.” You kept your eyes locked on the soft glow you could see beneath his t-shirt as you spoke. If you were going to do this, you couldn’t risk seeing annoyance or indifference in his eyes. He deserved to hear your side even if he never wanted to see you again. “My mom was thrilled, but I just wanted to live my life.”

You huffed a laugh. “It’s kind of hard to do that when you’ve constantly got love bites on your neck. I had to either let the boys think I was easy or admit that I had a soulmate. That puts a damper on a relationship, let me tell you.” You fell silent as you thought back to those days. “Honestly, I didn’t care much. It wasn’t until I was older and in college that I really wanted a relationship and well, I guess you know how well that went.”

He cleared his throat and placed his glass on the table beside you. “I’d seen some bruises before. Not anything major, just enough to make me wonder but I was always in the lab, running into things. I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just me. But that morning…the only other time I can remember feeling so empty was the day my parents died.” You looked up then to meet his eye. He’d shed the fake smile and was just gazing at you with those intense, dark eyes of his. “I couldn’t believe that I had a soulmate. And suddenly I knew you were out there, and that you were hurt, but I couldn’t do anything about it. I had all this money and it didn’t do me a damn bit of good.”

“Did you quit sleeping around because of what happened to me?” It was a question you’d wanted the answer to for years.

“I didn’t know exactly what happened, but I could guess. I didn’t think you needed to be dealing with the evidence of my activities while you were recovering.”

The corner of your mouth kicked up into a smile. “I might have fallen a little bit in love with you when you did that. It made me feel cared for, important.” He gave you a small smile in return and you reached one of your hands out to grasp his. Relief flooded you when he linked your fingers together instead of pulling away. “Nothing happened. Not really. My roommate came home and interrupted him.”

He breathed out in relief. “Thank God. I always assumed the worst.”

You shook your head, your gaze shifting to where your hands where tangled together. “Once I realized it was you, I started digging. None of this tabloid where you went with who crap. I told you I like my research. I found the obscure articles about your charitable activities. The posts where people contemplated whether or not you were the one that gave that donation to save the children’s hospital.” You glanced back up with a half-smile. “It was fairly easy to determine that you did. You also renovated facilities nearby for the kids and their families.”

“Maybe you should have been a journalist,” he teased.

You laughed. “I would be horrible. I don’t care about the drama.” You paused slightly before continuing. “It was never about your money, Tony. In fact, that only made it harder to talk to you. The media circus that surrounds you is intimidating to say the least. You think I don’t know that everyone is going to be sizing me up, deciding if I am worthy of Tony Stark.” The thought was depressing. You’d seen the women that Tony dated and you were under no illusions that you would be modeling any time soon.

He squeezed your hand. “You got that backward, sweetheart. It’s me who’s not worthy. Never have been, never will be. I know you don’t give a shit about my money. You could have emptied at least three accounts and disappeared by now.” He stood abruptly, grabbing his glass and the bottle to carry them over to the bar. “I come with a lot of baggage. You don’t deserve any of it.”

You stood and moved over to stand behind him. “I’m a big girl, Tony. I can decide for myself what I deserve or don’t.” You wrapped your arms around him and pressed yourself to his back. His hand found one of yours and lifted it to his mouth to kiss the back of it. “Personally, I think you’re worth the hassle.”   

His hands rested on your arms to hold you in place as he turned to face you. “I’m sorry I overreacted. I just had this moment where I was certain you were only here because I was your soulmate. And that you’d decided to accept me because of my money and fame.”

The undercurrent of pain in his voice broke your heart. “I’m sorry, too. I should have told you the truth right away. Honestly, I would have if it hadn’t been for Pepper. I didn’t want to get in the middle of a relationship.”

He didn’t comment beyond an arched brow. “There is something else I think you should know.”

“What now?”

That startled a laugh from him and he kissed your forehead. “I was curious about this connection between us. I’d heard a lot of stuff about soulmates over the years but nothing about being able to feel the each other’s emotions. Jarvis, you want to tell hot stuff here what we found on the topic?”

You shook your head at that stupid nickname then leaned against his chest, his arms wrapping around you to hold you tight as if he’d done it a million times before.

“It would appear that this phenomenon between soulmates only occurs when they are truly in love with one another. It signifies a connection of their souls at the most basic level.” Despite the analytical tone of the AI’s voice, your heart raced at the information.

You pulled back only far enough that you could see those dark eyes. “You love me?”

He tilted his head slightly and shrugged one shoulder while giving you a lopsided grin. “I would have thought that obvious by now. And you love me.”

You grinned and nodded in answer. “Guess you’re stuck with me, Mr. Stark.”

“I think I can deal with that, Ms. Y/L/N.”

His lips found yours, soft at first, questioning. It didn’t take long for the two of you to find your rhythm. And for the first time, there, wrapped in his arms, you were whole.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Pressure system had my head messed up. Thanks for all the love. Enjoy!

You woke in stages.

Your nighttime and early morning hours had been spent with you and your soulmate getting to know each other on a more intimate level. The sun had been peeking over the horizon before you drifted to sleep wrapped in his arms. You could tell from the light in the room that it wasn’t even midday yet, so why the hell were you awake.

“What are we going to do if we can’t find her?” a low voiced hissed from the hallway. Bucky?

“Everything will be fine, Buck.” And that was Steve. What the hell were they doing? You were too tired for this shit. “We’ll just ask—” His words cut off abruptly and you realized he’d entered the room. You could only hope the sheet was covering you from view.

The silence stretched and you relaxed thinking they must have left.

“Guess they made up, huh?” Amusement colored Bucky’s voice and told you they hadn’t left at all. Stupid super soldiers.

Tony’s chest moved softly under you as he chuckled. His thumb rubbed against your skin signaling he knew you were awake as well.

“Next time you want to know where someone is, ask Jarvis,” you said, not moving from your position. You were far too warm and comfortable to make the effort.

“Sorry, Y/N,” Steve said. “We were just worried when we saw the bag on your bed and then we couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“Well, you found me. Now leave.”

You heard them mumble their apologies and agreements. What you did not hear was them leaving. No, instead you heard a distinctive click. Like the one made when someone takes a picture with their cellphone.

“James Buchanan Barnes, I will hurt you.”

The super soldiers hurried off, and Tony gave up any pretense of trying to pretend he didn’t find this all amusing as hell. You groaned and buried your head into his side. “Were they seriously giggling?” you asked.

“Yep.” He popped the p when he answered then kissed your forehead. “Jarvis lock down access to this floor until I say otherwise.”

“Of course, sir.”

You felt him pull back to look at you and tilted your head to meet his gaze. His eyes studied you for a long moment. “You were going to leave?”

The sadness in his voice hurt your heart. “For about five minutes. Then I calmed down enough to realize that I didn’t really want to go anywhere. Though I was afraid you were going to ask me to leave.”

He huffed a laugh at that and pulled you closer to his side. “If I am ever stupid enough to even imply that I don’t want you exactly where you are right now, smack some sense into me.”

“I was just mad, Tony. Even if I left, I would have come back.”

A hum was his only answer and you could tell he was lost in thought. You left him to it and ran one finger over the arc reactor glowing softly in his chest. You couldn’t help but wonder at the pain that he’d been in at the time. And did it hurt now? What if something happened to the reactor, would he die?

As if sensing the turn your thoughts had taken, he grabbed your hand in his and brought it to his lips to kiss your palm. “That reminds me,” he said. Suddenly you found yourself flipped onto your back, Tony grinning down at you as his hands gently pinned your wrists on either side of you.

“I didn’t take the time to properly examine this last night.” He punctuated the word _this_ with a kiss to your breastbone, right where the soulmate scar mirrored his own.

“Well, we were rather preoccupied.” You giggled as the whiskers from his goatee tickled your sensitive skin.

He hummed and moved his lips across your scar, covering it with gentle kisses. He began to whisper “I’m sorry” between each brush of his lips.

Your brow furrowed as you realized he was apologizing for you being marked. “Tony.”

He simply hummed again and continued his actions.

“Tony. Stop.” Your voice was breathy, gentle and he ignored you.

“Stop, Tony.” You were firm this time, no longer asking. He lifted his head and gazed up at you in question. You tugged at your wrists and he immediately released them, shifting to his side as he did so.

You turned to face him and took his hand in your own to place it where he’d been kissing moments before. You covered his hand with your own. “Never apologize for this, Tony. This scar is a reminder that you are alive. I don’t regret it, I never have. Don’t you ever doubt that.”

His gaze locked with yours and the two of you just looked at each other for a while, content to be together. Finally, he beamed, giving you that genuine smile you loved so much. “God, I love you,” he said before pulling you against him and capturing your lips with his own.

You would have returned the sentiment, but you were too busy being kissed senseless.

***

Over the next several weeks, the two of you spent little time apart. And if you were in proximity of one another, you found a way to touch. You were content holding his hand, or linking your arms together, but that was rarely enough for Tony. He wanted as much contact as possible. More often than not he could be found standing behind you with his arms looped around your waist to hold you against him.

One trip outside of the tower together and your picture was all over the paper. Speculation ran wild as to who you were exactly and Pepper took the opportunity to play injured girlfriend to the press. She made it very clear what her opinion of you was, as well. That lasted exactly two days before Tony held a press conference with you by his side. All it took was the announcement you were soulmates and Pepper’s rants were long forgotten. The two of you gave a total of three interviews at the request of the Stark Industries PR department before going back to keeping your own company most of the time.

The team was an exception of course, though they probably wished they weren’t. It didn’t take much lovey dovey stuff before Bucky, Clint or Pietro would complain loudly. Poor Bruce got the brunt of it as you often accompanied Tony to the lab and worked at an empty table nearby. He didn’t seem to mind much if he’s ever present smile when you were around was any indication.

Today had been one of the rare days you hadn’t seen Tony since breakfast. You’d had things to handle that couldn’t be done onsite and had just returned to the tower. You glanced at the time as you stepped into the elevator and told Jarvis to take you to Tony. You were unsurprised to discover it was late afternoon. Tony wouldn’t be happy about it, but he’d manage. Actually, the part he wouldn’t be happy about was the fact you hadn’t answered any of his calls, simply texting to tell him you’d talk to him later.

The truth was, you weren’t certain he would approve of your recent actions, but it needed to be done. Hopefully, he understood that. You shook off your worry. Of course, he would understand. He was a genius, after all.

You strode to the lab, your heels clicking on the floor as you went. Jarvis unlocked the door before you arrived and you stepped inside with a smile. You immediately went to Tony and kissed the side of his head before finding a stool to sit on out of the way. Your briefcase landed on the table with a thud and you unbuttoned your suit jacket before hopping up on the seat. “Hello,” you finally greeted.

“Leaves me alone all day, won’t even take my calls and all she says is hello,” Tony replied. The teasing note in his voice and the matching smirk had you rolling your eyes and shaking your head.

You shifted your gaze over to Bruce. “Could you give us a moment?”

He nodded immediately. “Sure thing. I should probably eat something anyway. Just have Jarvis let me know when you’re done.”

“Of course.” You kept your voice happy until he was out of the room and the door shut behind him.

“Did you skip lunch today?” you asked.

Tony glanced at you and grimaced. Apparently, you didn’t look very happy. “Not on purpose.”

“Seriously, Tony? How did you function before I got here?”

He put down the piece of his suit he was tinkering with. “I didn’t.” He came over to greet you properly and you held up a hand.

“Do not get grease on my suit. I like this suit.”

He paused and looked you over from head toe. His grin lit his entire face. “Me, too.” Before you could stop him, his arms were wrapped around you as he kissed you.

You shoved him lightly. He leaned back but didn’t let go. “Damn it, Stark. What did I just say?”

“Sweetheart, I love you, I haven’t seen you all day, and I think I can afford to replace your suit if I ruined it.” He kissed you again. This time he pulled back on his own. “Okay, what did you need to talk to me about?”

You blinked at him. “What?” His kisses always left you a little fuzzy headed if you were honest. Not that you were complaining.

He chuckled. “You asked Bruce for a moment, so I figured you wanted to talk. Or have your way with me but we did promise we wouldn’t do that in the lab anymore after the last time.”

Your cheeks heated with the reminder and you cleared your throat. “Right.” You hopped off your stool and turned to open your briefcase. Pulling out the thick stack of papers within, you placed them on the table and handed him a pen. “I need you to sign something.”

He looked between you and the document marked with several flags to indicate where he needed to sign. “Y/N, I trust you implicitly but what exactly is this?”

You sighed. You knew he was going to ask, but a small part of you had been hoping he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t like this. He was too soft hearted. Especially when it came to her.

“Y/N?” He appeared more than a little concerned at this point.

“This removes Pepper as the CEO of Stark Industries and returns control to you. I have already compiled portfolios of the best options to replace her should you not wish to return to the position.” You said it all in one breath, as if saying it faster would make him less likely to argue.

He tilted his head and looked you over before grinning and beginning to flip through the paperwork and signing where it was marked. “I suppose she agreed to the buyout option in the original contract?”

You pressed your lips together. “Not exactly.”

His gaze darted to you before turning back to the document in front of him. He placed his pen on the page to mark his spot and turned to face you. “Explain please.”

You sighed. Damn it, you’d been so relieved when he started signing with no questions.

“Y/N.” His voice was soft as he got your attention. “I’m not upset. In fact, I intended to have the attorneys look into it, but I’ve been a bit distracted. And I didn’t want to go through the hassle, frankly. I also didn’t think she’d agree to the buyout. So how did you do it?”

“Wait, you’re okay with this?”

He shrugged. “Provided you didn’t do anything shady, yes.” He licked his lips. “Pepper was my friend for a long time. Sometimes, a little more than that, but the moment she spewed hate about you to the press our relationship was over. I’ll forgive a lot of things. That isn’t one of them.”

Your heart lightened at his words. Just when you thought he couldn’t make you feel more loved than you already did, he said something or did something that proved you completely wrong.

He went back to signing. “So, talk.”

“Ironically enough, it was what she said about me that got her fired. When your attorney drew up the paperwork for Pepper to take over, he insisted on including a clause about false assertions, remember?”

Tony nodded. “He was worried that she would spread a bunch of lies to the board or the press and take the company out from under me completely.”

You hummed in agreement. “That clause prohibits her from lying about any Stark Industries employee, not just you.”

He paused and glanced up at you. “That was me. Said if we were going to put it in there we might as well cover everyone.”

You smiled. “Well, Mr. Stark, as I am sure you remember you informed me that all the monkeys were my monkeys once upon a time. When there were things you wanted me to deal with that were not under my authority as the Avengers assistant, you hired me as your personal assistant. Via Stark Industries.”

“You mean…” he trailed off.

You nodded. “When she gave those interviews, she violated the terms of the agreement. It was a clause she probably thought would never be enforced but here we are. Her attorney convinced her to take a $100,000 severance payment.”

He signed the last line and pushed the papers back in your direction. “You are incredible.”

The document went back into your briefcase to be delivered to his attorney tomorrow. “Thank you.”

He leaned against the table. “Now, there is something I want to talk to you about.”

Your brows shot up. “Should I be worried?”

“You just fired my CEO without consulting me.”

“Good point. What do you need?”

“I need to have a party, Y/N. Actually, let me rephrase that. _We_ need to have a party, Y/N.”

You blinked at him. He knew you hated parties. “And why is that?”

He shrugged. “I introduced you to the world. Now, I want to introduce you to some of my friends.”

You scrunched up your nose. You really didn’t want to be the center of attention.

He leaned forward, that smirk flirting with his lips. “Besides, now we have something else to celebrate. Celebrate with me, sweetheart.”

You sighed. “I guess we’re having a party.”


	15. Chapter 15

It was the day of the party and you headed into your office, coffee in hand. You didn’t work out of there very often but you had to pop in occasionally to clear out mail and paperwork that the people that didn’t know any better left on your desk. Your gaze fell on the small stack of folders in the middle of your desk with the sticky note on top and you frowned. And some people that did know better.

As it had the last three times he’d left the pile on your desk, the sticky note said ‘you’. You rolled your eyes and picked up the files and went to find Tony. Jarvis informed you that he was in the lab as usual so you made your way there. “Morning, Bruce,” you greeted as you stepped into the lab. “Stark.”

Tony didn’t even look at you. He knew why you were there and why you were irritated. He simply smirked and continued with his work. You sat the pile on his desk. “We’ve been over this, Tony. I do not want to be CEO of Stark Industries. Pick someone else.”

He looked at you then, his hands spread to his sides in a gesture of innocence. “You’re the only one I trust to do the job, Y/N. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

You leaned forward and kissed him. “It means the world, but I am still not going to do it. Pick someone else.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Just give me a good reason why you won’t do it and I’ll find someone else.”

This is the first time he actually wanted to talk about it, so you took that as a positive sign you were getting through to him. “There are many. However, have you considered that if I become CEO that I will no longer be your assistant or the team’s and I will have to work in an office all day away from you. And travel without you. Go to dinners without you.”

He held up his hands. “That’s enough. I’ll pick someone else.”

“I knew you’d see reason.” You leaned forward and rewarded him with another brief kiss. “Now about the party tonight.” You pulled up a list on your tablet. “The space has been fully set up. The florist will be here in about an hour. The caterer will arrive at five.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, that’s all been canceled.”

You blinked at him as you ran your tongue across your suddenly dry lips. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, not completely. I had some changes they wouldn’t accommodate so I got someone else.” He said it as if it was the most normal thing in the world. As if you hadn’t spent weeks planning this stupid party that he insisted was for the two of you even though you wanted nothing to do with it. As if you hadn’t bent over backward to make certain everything was ready for the insane number of guests he’d invited.

You took a deep breath. “What sort of changes did you make, Tony.”

“Uh oh,” you heard Bruce mutter under his breath behind you. Perhaps you didn’t sound as calm as you’d intended.

“I had to add some people. I wanted roses, which your florist refused to add to the arrangements and I added an appetizer to the list.” His tone was a little more cautious, as if understanding perhaps he had messed up.

“And what appetizer did you add?” you asked through clenched teeth.

“Shrimp in peanut sauce?”

“For the love of…” you trailed off with a sigh. “Jarvis, please contact the caterer and nix the peanuts. Tell them we’ll pay for any wasted ingredients. Have them do a garlic shrimp instead. Then call the two guests that are allergic to roses and tell them that there will be roses on the premises due to an oversight and we understand should they choose not to come.”

“Of course, Miss.”

You simply stared at Tony until he started to squirm under the attention. “Perhaps next time I have spent many hours planning an event you should check with me before you make any changes. You know, just in case there is a reason I didn’t ask for roses although they are my favorite flower, or I was avoiding peanuts because I didn’t want to kill anyone.” You were yelling by the end and Tony winced slightly away from you.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. “I am going to walk down the street and get a coffee. I’ll be back.”

“But you have coffee right here.” Tony lifted your mug and held it toward you.

You lifted a brow and gave him a tight smile. “I’m taking a short walk and getting a coffee. I will be back later.”

“Um…yeah. Sounds good.” He sat the mug down and watched you walk out of the lab with wide eyes.

At least he was smart enough to just let you go. You needed to cool off before you said something you didn’t mean. It didn’t escape your notice that he’d wanted your favorite flower and one of your favorite foods at the party. He was trying to be sweet, which is probably why he didn’t discuss it with you first, but after all the time you’d put into making sure everything would run smoothly…ugh.

A short walk and some fresh air would do you a world of good. When you hit the lobby, you realized that you brought nothing with you. You groaned. The trip upstairs would take longer than the walk to the coffee shop at this point. The security office was just down the hall and you ducked inside, smiling at the young man that greeted you. “Happy in?”

“Sure thing.” He buzzed you through. Evidently, you’d been in enough they knew you by now.

You rapped your knuckles on Happy’s door to get his attention. He glanced up and smiled when he saw it was you. “Hey, Y/N. What’s up?”

“First I wanted to make sure we were set with security for tonight?”

He leaned back in his chair and nodded. “Yep. I’ve got two on the door down here. Two more on the floor.”

“And you’re coming to the party, right? No working.”

He ran a hand over the top of his head. “You and Tony both insisted so yes, I’ll be there.”

“Good.” You smiled. You genuinely liked Happy and he had been one of the few people you made sure to invite yourself. “Do you have ten bucks I can borrow? I want to go get some coffee and left my purse upstairs.”

“Sure.” He fished a bill out of his wallet and handed it over. “Do you want me to go with you?”

You shook your head. The paparazzi tended to leave you be as long as you were alone and not with Tony. “I’ll be fine. Thanks, Hap.”

***

As predicted, it only took you a few minutes to get to the coffee shop. You sat outside enjoying the sun while you drank your coffee. Once you finished, you tossed your cup in the trash and headed back toward the tower, your hands in your pockets as you strolled along.

Your little jaunt had done you a world of good an you were ready to get back to finalizing everything for the party. As much as you were dreading the event, you also couldn’t wait for Tony to see you in your dress. Wanda, Nat and you had spent a whole afternoon finding the perfect attire for tonight.

You were jerked rather rudely out of your daydream as you felt a sharp pinch in your upper arm. “Ow,” you grumbled and turned your arm trying to get a glimpse of where you had been stung. Your head swam causing your stomach to roll. Something was very wrong.

A strong arm wrapped around you and pulled you into someone’s side. “Just stay quiet and stay with me. You’ll be fine.”

You tried to scream, tried to push away, but you were too weak, too sick. More hands grabbed at you, pulled you into a car and in seconds they were speeding away with you still unable to protest. You cursed loudly in your head as your body was sucked down into unwanted slumber.


	16. Chapter 16

“Has anyone seen, Y/N?” Tony asked as he walked into the common sitting area. Most of the team was there. He’d tried to call you twice only for there to be no answer. There was a general rumbling of ‘no’ from around the room and he sighed. “She isn’t answering my calls.”

“I’m not surprised,” Bruce said. “She wasn’t exactly pleased with you earlier.”

Tony frowned at his friend knowing he was right but he was unable to shake the uneasy feeling that had taken up residence in his gut. He shifted his gaze to Steve. “You try calling her, would you?”

The blond super soldier shrugged and pulled out his phone to call you. A short time later he slid it back into his pocket. “No answer.”

“I don’t like this,” Tony voiced his thoughts.

“It doesn’t mean anything, Stark. She probably just doesn’t want to be bothered. Are you picking up anything over that link the two of you have?” Natasha asked.

He shook his head and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “No, but this isn’t like her.”

Bucky huffed and rolled his eyes. “I got this.” He put his phone to his ear. After a moment, his smile fell and his gaze narrowed. “She’s not answering.”

The team exchanged a look. You always took Bucky’s calls. Always.

“Right. That’s enough of that.” Tony clapped his hands together. “Jarvis, trace Y/N’s cellphone. Get me a location.”

“At once, sir.” There was a pause. “Miss Y/L/N’s phone is in her office.”

Tony’s head jerked up. “I thought you said she wasn’t in the tower.” It had been the first thing he’d tried when she wouldn’t answer his calls.

“That is correct. She is not, but her phone is,” came the crisp, accented response.

“Shit,” Nat said after a moment’s pause, echoing Tony’s thoughts exactly.

***

You woke suddenly, with a gasp. After a moment’s confusion, it all swarmed back to you. You lifted your head to find you were in a chair in the middle of an otherwise empty room. One bare bulb hung above you to illuminate the room. It was almost as if someone had watched a lot of bad action movies and took notes on the stereotypical room to hold a kidnapping victim.

Your hands were tied behind the chair which made your shoulders ache. Once you realized you weren’t restrained in any other way, you frowned. Something seemed off about this whole thing. It screamed amateur, unprofessional, and given the plethora of enemies the Avengers had that was bizarre to say the least.

Of course, being kidnapped was odd in and of itself. At the thought you wondered how long you’d been out and if anyone was missing you yet. It shouldn’t take long for Tony to track you once he realized what had happened. After all, he could just have Jarvis trace your phone…which you left on your desk in the tower before you stormed out with nothing like a complete and utter dumbass. Son of a bitch.

Would it kill the universe to make things simple for once? You huffed out a sigh. Tony would still find you. It would just take longer, that’s all. Voices drifted to you from the hall, interrupting your internal pep talk. Your gaze darted to the door and your heart pounded as you waited to see who came through it.

***

Tony stood in front of the large screen in the living room. He chewed on the end of his thumb while he waited for Jarvis to finish his search. The AI was scanning through surveillance footage from a radius around the tower looking for any sign of what had happened to you.

“Anything?” Steve asked as he walked back into the room. He’d put on his suit, just in case they needed to go after you.

Tony glanced at him before shaking his head. “Not yet. You do realize she could just be sitting in a diner somewhere having coffee and pie, right?” He knew that scenario was unlikely, but he wasn’t going to panic until he had to. That wouldn’t do him, or you, any good.

“I believe I have ascertained what happened to Miss Y/L/N,” Jarvis’s voice suddenly interrupted.

“Show me,” Tony ordered at once, his attention now fully riveted to the screen in front of him. He was only vaguely aware of the rest of the team crowding around him. Jarvis had pieced together a video of you leaving the café and heading back to the tower.

Tony’s eyes stayed on your form as a man passed too close heading in the opposite direction and you frowned down at your arm. They followed you as another man stepped up beside you and draped an arm over your shoulders to steer you to gray sedan parked on the side of the road. His stomach flipped as he watched them put you in the back seat and drive off with you.

“See if you can get a locate on that car, Jarvis,” Steve barked.

“At once, Captain.”

Tony just kept staring at the screen, his mind playing over what happened as he formulated and discarded plans. He kept shifting his weight as he thought. Annoyance crawled under his skin and it took him longer than it should have to realize he was picking that up from you. The corner of his mouth kicked up in a small grin. Leave it to you to be frustrated instead of terrified when you get kidnapped. That’s his girl.

***

The person revealed when the door open was honestly one of the last people you had expected to see. He smiled at you, flashing too perfect white teeth as he pushed his glasses up with one finger. “Hello, Y/N.”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

None other than Justin Hammer stood before you, hands shoved into the pockets of his poorly fitted suit. He had spent his professional life trying to be Tony Stark and always fell short in every aspect. He was an asshole, but you hadn’t thought him a complete idiot until today.

He frowned at you. “That language isn’t necessary, I assure you. I merely have a few questions. Answer them and you can get back to Tony.”

“Has it occurred to you that my soulmate is going to go full Iron Man on your ass once he finds out what happened?” Perhaps it was stupid to bring it up, but you were beyond annoyed to full on pissed by now. And the longer he stood there with that smug look on his face, the angrier you got. “Or that the rest of the Avengers will help him?”

He chuckled. “I assure you that I am not a complete idiot, Y/N. All probabilities have been considered and accounted for. I have another little drug that will ensure you remember none of this.”

You sighed. “What do you want, Hammer?”

“Stark is working on new tech. I want to know everything about it and you’re going to tell me.” He leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

You blinked at him. He was quite possibly the least threatening looking interrogator ever. “No.”

His lips pulled down as his frown deepened. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

“What has you confused—the lines or the circles?” You worked your hands behind your back as you talked to him, hoping he’d be too inept to notice you trying to loosen the ropes. So far, so good.

He started to pace the small room. “What is your problem? Why won’t you just cooperate? The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can go home. You might even make Tony’s little party.”

You snorted. “Little, my ass. There is nothing little about Tony Stark.”

He paused his pacing and scowled at you. “Did you just imply…” he trailed off.

Your brows shot up. “I didn’t imply anything, Hammer. Though I hear your name doesn’t really suit.”

His face reddened as his brow furrowed. “Where…where did you hear that?”

One side of your mouth kicked up in a smirk that rivaled Tony’s best any day. “That wasn’t a denial.”

He closed the distance between you and braced his hands on the arms of the chair to lean into you. “Damn it, Y/N. Do you think this is some sort of joke? Tell me what I want to know.”

You licked your lips to keep from telling him that _he_ was a joke. “What makes you think I know anything about Tony’s work? I may know his schedule backward and forward, but as for what he’s actually working on in the lab, I have no idea.”

He smacked his palms against the arms. “That’s a lie. He tells you everything.”

“Says who?” Your gaze narrowed in suspicion. He didn’t just suddenly decide to kidnap you. Someone was behind this and you had a feeling that you knew precisely who.

He cleared his throat as he straightened and stepped away from you. “No one had to tell me anything. You’re his soulmate. It only makes sense that you would know what he was up to.”

“Hmmm.” You didn’t buy it, but what difference did it make really?

“Now, are you going to tell me what I want to know or not?”

“Let’s go with not.”

He sighed. “I was afraid you were going to say that.” Hammer opened the door and gestured to someone in the hallway. A man you had never seen before stepped into the room. His broad shoulders were enough to have you gulping nervously. One of Hammer’s hired thugs, no doubt. He gestured in your direction. “She won’t talk.”

The man nodded and stepped forward. He looked you over briefly before backhanding you across the cheek. Pain flared through you, vibrant and sharp, a wave of fury traveling in its wake.


	17. Chapter 17

Tony clenched his teeth as pain flared through his cheek. He instinctively reached up to lay his hand against it, though he knew it was your injury, not his. “Son of a bitch, that hurt.”

All eyes turned to him.

“Someone hit her,” he bit out.

“Are you sure that’s what happened?” Bucky asked. “Maybe she fell or something.”

Tony didn’t want to think about Y/N being smacked around either but that was definitely what happened. He shrugged one shoulder. “Trust me, I’ve been smacked in the face enough to know what it feels like.”

“Yeah, I’ll buy that,” Bruce said after a pause.

Nat placed a hand onto Tony’s shoulder. “We’ll get her back, Tony. She’ll be okay.”

He shook his head as a humorless laugh escaped him. “I know she will, Nat.”

“You are being surprisingly calm about all of this,” Steve said.

Tony ran a trembling hand down his face. “I’m not calm. Far from it in fact. Knowing what she’s feeling helps.” His glanced around the room at his friends and teammates. “She’s not scared. Not worried. That helps, too.”

Steve frowned. “If she’s not scared, what is she?”

Tony grinned then, unable to help himself. “She is unbelievably pissed.”

***

You kept your head down for a long moment, trying to rein in your emotions. You had a lie to sell and it wasn’t going to work if your rage was written plainly on your face for all to see. With a whimper and a sniff, you shook your shoulders slightly to make it appear as if you were crying. “Please don’t hit me again. I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

“I thought you might.” Hammer’s smug little voice only served to make you angrier. The bastard didn’t even have the balls to hit you himself. “Start talking.”

Keeping your head bent forward, you darted your gaze to up to look at his thug. “Could he…Can he wait outside? He scares me.”

“Wait outside, Kevin,” Hammer instructed, his smug grin firmly in place.

“Boss—”

“I said, wait outside.”

When the man still hesitated, Hammer sighed and opened the door. “We’ll be fine. She’s not an Avenger, she just dates one. Plus, she’s tied to a chair. What do you think she’s going to do?”

After one more look at you, the thug finally followed orders and moved into the hall. Hammer shut the door behind him and turned back to you. “All right, Y/N. Tell me everything.”

***

“Sir, Director Fury is on the line for you.”

Tony pulled his gaze away from the screen where he was watching the video of you being shoved into the car for the tenth time and glanced at the screen showing Fury sitting on hold. He had been chewing on the end of his thumb and pulled it from his mouth. “Tell him I’m busy. I’ll have to call him back.”

“He says it is concerning Y/L/N.”

Tony’s head jerked up and he stopped the playback on the video. “Put him through.”

“Stark,” Fury said with a nod as his face appeared on the main screen. His eye took in the room beyond the man he was talking to and his usual bitch face shifted to downright pissed off. “I called to warn you about some chatter we picked up concerning Y/N but from the looks of all of you it appears I may be too late.”

When Tony didn’t respond, Steve stepped forward to stand beside him. “Y/N is missing, sir. Footage from security cameras in the area shows her being put into a gray sedan. Jarvis is having trouble tracking it. We didn’t get a shot of the plates.”

“Why weren’t we notified as once?”

“Well, sir—” Steve started but Tony spoke over the top of him.

“Because I’m more concerned with finding my soulmate than making sure you’re caught up on all the tower gossip. We don’t know who has her. When we do, we’ll go after her. If we need your help, we’ll let you know. Now, what was it you had to tell us?”

Tony could almost see Fury biting back the words he wanted to say. Instead, he gave a slight nod of his head. “One of our intelligence groups has been surveilling a group of former mafia operatives. They work for hire now. There was a conversation between two of them that took place in the early hours this morning. One of them mentioned being ‘hired to steal the Iron Man’s girl’. Naturally, this made its way up the chain to me and I called you. Now you know as much as I do.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this before?” Tony demanded.

“Didn’t know until about three minutes before I called you, Stark.”

“Who’s the operative?” Natasha asked, stepping forward.

Fury shook his head. “Don’t know his real name. He goes by Igor.”

Natasha spat out a stream of words in Russian. “Where is he?”

“We can’t get a lock on him. No one’s seen him since late this morning.”

Tony grew more irritated with every word that came out of Fury’s mouth. “Thanks for nothing, Fury. Call us when you know something useful, huh?” He disconnected the call and turned to lean on the edge of the desk. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Thankfully, everyone else gave him the moment of quiet he so desperately needed. He licked his lips and his eyes found Natasha’s. “This Igor…what do you know?”

***

You started off telling Hammer about the radio Tony fixed for you last week. Of course, you didn’t mention it was a radio. Instead, you described the parts you’d seen on the inside and made up a bunch of shit Tony was adding to it. To his credit, Hammer did ask you if you were remembering correctly as what you were saying didn’t make any sense. You didn’t care. You were simply buying time while you finished loosening the rope that bound your wrists.

More than one of the many training sessions you’d had with Clint and Natasha had been centered around escaping restraints. You had kind of hoped you’d never have to use it, but at least you’d paid attention. The ropes finally slackened enough to free you, though you stayed in position, not wanting to give anything away too soon. You needed an advantage. Hammer wasn’t an issue but his Thug was probably still in the hallway.

Time to switch tactics. You widened your eyes and looked up at Hammer. “Oh, I almost forgot. He’s working on this microexplosive. It’s completely undetectable to any sort of scan. X-rays, metal detectors, it won’t show for any of them.”

That got your captor’s attention, just as you knew it would. He took a step closer. “But Stark shut down the weapons division.”

You shrugged and braced yourself as Hammer took another step in your direction. “That’s what he told everyone but he works on stuff all the time. It’s all contract based now.”

He smacked his fist into the opposite palm. “I knew it. What else has been working on besides the explosive?”

Another step toward you brought him into range and you swung your leg up and around in a sweeping kick to the side of Hammer’s head. You were up in a flash, executing two more maneuvers the assassins had shown you in quick succession. A punch to the throat to keep him from calling for help and another kick to take his legs out from underneath him.

Hammer moaned as he rocked on the floor. You used one foot to turn him flat on his back before you grabbed your chair and sat it over the top of him. The crossbar sat right above his throat and kept him from getting up once you sat back in the seat. You straddled the chair while he pushed ineffectively against the legs. Leaning over, you ran your hands along his clothes until you found his phone in his jacket pocket.

Sitting up, you smiled down at the man. “I’m just going to make a call. You don’t mind, do you?”

He tried to say something and you drove your heel into his ribs.

“What was that?”

His only response was to moan and shake his head.

“That’s what I thought you said.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this story. Thank you everyone for reading it and for all your wonderful comments. Enjoy!

You had forgotten what an incredible pain in the ass it was to get Tony on the line if you didn’t have his direct number. You tried twice before you gave up, cursing yourself for not memorizing his number. Or anyone else’s for that matter. Why would you need to? You always had your phone, right? You groaned in annoyance.

“Can I get up now?” Hammer said below you.

You drove your heel into his side again. “No. Be quiet. I’m thinking.” There was a beat of silence as the solution came to you. “And I’m an idiot.”

You called the operator and asked to be connected with Stark Tower again. This time when the receptionist answered, you asked for Happy. “Please advise him that it is a code 3 priority call.” Code 3 meant there was a Tony problem and usually you were on the receiving end of those calls. The three being a reference to his mental age when he was at his most annoying.

“Who is this?” Happy answered the phone a short time later.

You rolled your eyes. “Is that how you answer the phone? We’re going to have to rethink your nickname.”

“Y/N?”

“Got it in one.”

“Holy shit. Where the hell are you? Everyone here is going nuts trying to find you.” You heard noise in the background as he moved around.

“You won’t believe me when I tell you. Are you anywhere near Tony?”

“Taking you to him right now. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay, Hap. Just pissed off but I found a way to relieve some of the anger.” You kicked Hammer in the other side this time and wondered if you’d managed to actually break any of the ribs yet. At least it was keeping you from being bored.

“Oh, come on,” he groaned and you grinned at his discomfort.

***

Tony and the rest of the team were bent over a map laid out on a table. Fury was on the main screen as they argued over strategy. Nat’s intel on Igor and who he usually worked for had made finding you a more urgent priority. You might be fine for the moment, but that wouldn’t last.

“What is that going to accomplish?” Steve asked in response to Fury’s latest idea.

“Wasting time. That’s what it will accomplish,” Bucky muttered and Tony doubted Fury even heard him.

“Boss,” Happy said trying to get his attention.

Tony glanced at him to see the phone in his hand and quickly dismissed him. He didn’t have time for this right now. He circled a section of the map. “I still say we should focus our energies here. Ran scans for heat signatures. The bad guys always use warehouses.”

“Boss,” Happy said again, a little louder.

Tony made a shooing motion at him.

“And I say it’s a waste of resources to send everyone there. What if she’s not there, Stark? What if the bad guy is smarter than you this time?” Fury argued.

“Boss!” Happy yelled.

Tony spun with a scowl. “What? We’re a little busy trying to find Y/N here, Hap.”

“Maybe I can help with that.” Your voice coming through the speaker of Happy’s phone had everyone freezing for a beat.

“Y/N?” Tony asked, not quite ready to believe it was you just yet.

“Last time I checked. Have Jarvis trace this call and get me the hell out of here, would you?”

***

It was a matter of minutes before shouting drifted to you from the depths of the building. You turned your head to hear better, but no further sound came to you. Just as you were prepared to dismiss it as nothing, a large thud came from the hallway. You started to get up then turned back to Hammer. “Stay.”

He nodded between wheezing breaths. Dipshit.

A light knock came at the door even as you approached it. “Housekeeping.”

You snorted a laugh at the horrible, high-pitched voice then swung open the door. Barton stood on the other side. When he saw it was you, he lowered his weapon and grinned at you. “I’ve got eyes on Y/N.” He stepped past you into the room as he spoke to the rest of the team. “And Hammer.”

You peered into the hall to find the thug on the floor, slumped against the wall.

“Christ, Y/N. What did you do to him?”

Clint’s question had you turning to look at him. He had moved your chair and was looking Hammer over for injuries. You stood with your arms crossed over your chest appreciating your handywork.

Clint’s lips twitched in amusement as he helped Hammer to his feet.

The idiot pointed to you with a shaking hand. “She’s crazy. I was just talking to her and she kicked me.”

“She kicked you?” Clint asked with his brows lifted.

Thinking he had a sympathetic ear, Hammer continued. “In the head. And she punched me in the throat and look what she did here.” He shifted his clothing around so Clint could see the forming bruises on his ribs.

“That looks painful. Did she kick you?”

“Yes. I told you she’s nuts.”

Clint leaned forward to examine the other man. “Did she kick you here?” As he said the last word, he slammed his fist into the other man’s ribs. If they weren’t broken before, they certainly were now. He caught Hammer to keep him from falling. “What about here?” Another punch followed the words.

Footsteps sounded behind you and you stepped to the side as Nat, Tony and Steve joined you. You went immediately to your soulmate’s side but scrunched your nose at the realization you’d be hugging metal. At least the helmet was retracted. “Sorry I worried you,” you said as you stretched to kiss his lips.

He arched a brow. “Yes, because this was all your fault.”

You shrugged. “Thanks for the rescue, anyway.”

Nat scoffed. “This is the least dramatic rescue in history. We literally could have just jumped out and yelled boo to the same effect.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I used your training.” You gestured to the ropes on the floor.

She smiled. “Nicely done, Y/L/N.”

“Not to interrupt the female bonding, but who hit you? Was it Hammer? Please, say it was Hammer.” Tony may have been smiling for you, but his jaw was set. He was pissed and wanted someone to take the anger out on. You supposed that was fair, you’d gotten to take yours out on Hammer after all.

“Kevin.”

Tony’s brows shot up. “Kevin? Isn’t that the name of one of those little yellow things?”

“They’re minions, Tony,” Clint protested. They’d had this conversation multiple times.

Tony rolled his eyes and turned toward you so Clint wouldn’t see his smirk.

You shook your head and gestured into the hall. “That is also Kevin.”

Nat snorted a laugh then covered her mouth with her hand. “No wonder he goes by Igor.”

“Cap, can you take my girl home? I have a delivery to drop off at SHIELD.” You weren’t sure you liked the way he emphasized the words ‘drop off’.

“It would be my honor, Tony.” Steve offered you his arm and you gave your boyfriend one more kiss before taking it.

“Don’t be too long, Stark. We’ve got a party to go to.”

“Yes, ma’am.” His helmet slid back into place and Clint followed him from the room, dragging Hammer along with him.

Steve led you into the hall. “Let’s get you home, Y/N.”

That was the best idea you’d heard all day.

***

You got ready for the party in Nat’s room which had always been the plan. Wanda joined the two of you and it wasn’t long before you were giggling like school girls. You blamed it on the tension of the day needing to be released. Whatever the reason, by the time you were dressed and Wanda had fixed your hair and make up for you, your cheeks ached from smiling.

“Well?” You spun in a little circle showing off the dress that made you feel like a princess the moment you put it on.

Both women grinned at you. “You’re going to take his breath away,” Nat said and Wanda nodded in agreement.

You glanced at the time. “I guess we should go.” Despite all the chaos of the day you managed to only be fashionably late. Of course, since it was your party you could make the argument you weren’t late at all.

Once you arrived at the floor where the party was being held, the three of you split up. Your eyes found Tony and you immediately gravitated toward him. Your gaze ran over him as you made your way through the crowd. He had one hand in his pocket and the other hooked around the back of his neck as he leaned forward listening to Rhodey.

You saw the moment Rhodey noticed you. He smiled and said something to Tony who instantly turned to find you. His expression was stunned for the brief moment it took him to rake his gaze over you then a bright smile lit his whole face. He met you half way, his fingers trailing down your cheek.

“You are stunning.”

You gave him a little curtsey. “You aren’t so bad yourself, Mr. Stark.”

He took one of your hands in his and pulled you to him. His other hand settled in the small of your back. Effortlessly, he began to move the two of you to the rhythm of the music playing softly over the speakers. He rested his head alongside yours and hummed with the tune. You closed your eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of being home in Tony’s arms.

“You scared me today,” he said. His voice was so quiet you almost didn’t hear him.

You tilted your head back to look at him. “I’m sorry.”

He kissed your lips. “Not your fault, sweetheart. But it did make me face the horrifying prospect of my life without you in it.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Stark. You’re stuck with me.”

“Thank God,” he said with a laugh and spun you before pulling you in to kiss you again. “I would like to make absolutely sure though. So, I’m going to need you to make me a promise. And do it rather publicly, I’m afraid.”

Your brow furrowed. “What do you want me to do, swear a blood oath?”

He hummed and pursed his lips. “I was thinking something slightly less dramatic. And with more jewelry.” As he said the last, he pulled a small velvet box from his suit jacket. He opened it and your gaze darted from the most beautiful ring you’d ever seen up to him. He grinned but you could see the worry shining from his eyes. “Marry me?”

Your heart raced as you took in everything about this man you loved. Everything about him complemented every piece of you. You beamed at him. “Of course, I will.” He slid the perfectly sized ring on your finger and a cheer went up from the crowd around you. You had honestly completely forgotten they were there, you’d been so lost in your soulmate.

His arms looped around your waist as he pulled you back to him. Your hands rested on his chest, the diamonds sparkling against his suit. He kissed you then. A sweet kiss full of promises for the future. As the two of you separated, he laid his forehead against yours. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, Mr. Stark.”  


End file.
